The ex-wife of AFL star Ricky Olarenshaw has vowed to fight her husband if he tries to kidnap their young daughter back to Australia while she is in a Bali jail accused of running a brothel.
Sarnanitha ‘Nitha’ Olarenshaw, an Instagram influencer with 20,000 followers, claims she was illegally detained when Indonesian police arrested her over allegations that her Flame Seminyak spa was actually a brothel.
Olarenshaw could face up to 12 years in prison if charged and convicted of alleged “pornography and prostitution” activities at the spa.
But his lawyer, Donny Tri Istiqomah, told Daily Mail Australia he had been a victim of “exploitation” and “criminalization” by foreigners.
His lawyer spoke outside the Bali Police Detention and Evidence Directorate, where Olarenshaw is being held, along with Melbourne couple Michael and Lynley Le Grand, who were arrested separately for alleged prostitution at the nearby Pink Palace Spa. .
Istiqomah said Olarenshaw had been suffering from depression since his arrest but was now “better than before, not crying all the time”.
But she revealed that she refused to allow her nine-year-old daughter to visit her there because of the traumatic environment.
He said Flame Spa only offered “sensual massages, not sexual intercourse” and that while Olarenshaw, being Balinese, owned 99 per cent of the shares to circumvent local laws, he claimed all profits went to four Australians who they had interests in Flame.
Nitha Olarenshaw is “depressed” inside her filthy Bali police cell and fears her nine-year-old daughter will be taken back to Australia because she is in custody.
Olarenshaw has been jailed at the Bali Police Detention Center since her arrest last week, along with the Australian couple detained separately over the Pink Palace spa case.
Olarenshaw claims the four Australians are her ex-husband Ricky, her brother Darren and two other Australians living in Bali, Adam Dalby and Gregory Hinchliffe.
The spa is part of a chain of three Flame spas, and sister centers in Kuta and Canggu were also closed by police following last month’s raid.
“The police have doubts because the legal document only showed Nitha’s name,” Mr Istiqomah said. “(But) this is a widespread practice in Bali.
‘As we know, foreign investment in Indonesia should have a minimum capital of 10 billion rupees (1 million Australian dollars).
‘That’s why they usually use local people as owners. Many foreign-owned companies use the Indonesian name, his wife’s name. Researchers should realize this.
Istiqomah said while Olarenshaw was in custody, she feared her father would take his daughter back to Melbourne from Nitha’s family in Bali.
The lawyer planned to meet with Balinese immigration officials at the international airport to avoid being removed from the country.
“Don’t take your daughter to Australia,” he said. ‘Nitha hopes that this case can end soon. She doesn’t feel guilty.
She said her pre-court hearing, which she hoped would exonerate her, was Oct. 28.
Nitha Olarenshaw’s lawyer said she should be released soon because she “has done nothing wrong” and that allegations that could sentence her to prison for up to 12 years were misplaced.
Nitha and Olarenshaw (above with their daughter) split up earlier this year, then the Flame Spa was raided in September and police alleged it was being used for prostitution.
Ricky Olarenshaw is believed to have returned to Australia just days before Bali police raided the Flame spa in late September.
Nitha was arrested last week, along with three Flame employees.
The case is still under investigation, but prostitution and sex work are highly illegal in Bali and considered a crime against “decency and morality” in the country.
Services at Flame Spa range from $95 to $181 per session and their motto was supposedly: ‘Our service is more than just a sensual massage, it’s an erotic experience.’
‘Our goal is to light your flame.’
Her Instagram profile supposedly advertised “Bali’s premier sensual massage.”
The TikTok page reportedly recommended customers “bring your date or partner” to “enjoy the experience with us.”
During a police raid in Flame, a masseuse was found “completely naked.”
The women are housed separately from the men inside the Bali Criminal Investigation Directorate building.
Olarenshaw’s LinkedIn describes herself as the “self-employed” owner of Flame Spa since July 2017 and her personal Instagram labels her as a “female entrepreneur.”
Since the allegations against him emerged, he changed his Instagram account, which has 23,000 followers, to private.
Olarenshaw moved to Bali after his retirement from the AFL and has since become director of three F45 gyms there.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest any wrongdoing on Olarenshaw’s part, nor that he was aware of any alleged illegal activity within the spa.
Nitha claims that she separated from her husband earlier this year. Her lawyer said she just wants to “live in peace with her daughter.”