The Beijing police staged a fake casting call for models, which led to the arrest of more than 60 foreigners who are living in the country using illegal visas.

A report from The Beijinger said that the fake casting call was conducted at the M3 agency located in Jianwai SOHO, were 60 people were placed in custody for further questioning while four other individuals were placed behind bars.

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The Beijinger also reported that the foreign models were facing fines as well as possible deportation, just like the other visa policy violators.

The reports, however, did not say if the models detained were female, male, or both. The representatives from M3 could not be reached for further comments.

Foreign models in China are obliged to have entertainment visas in order to work legally. This type of visa is more tedious to process compared to tourist visas.

A Malaysian model who gave an interview with the New York Times said that majority of the detained models came from European countries like Ukraine and Russia, and that no one knows when the models will be freed.

The Managers Agents Models Association launched an online petition to ask the government of China to release the foreign models.

The association believes that the incident provided a big blow to the standing of the international modeling community as well as the entire fashion market in China. It was also considered as a traumatic event for all the loved ones of the models from different countries who were concerned about their current situation.

The association also threatened to stop sending models to China if they will not be able to loosen up the process of securing the legal permits and working visas for those who want to work in the country's fashion runway.

More foreign models are flocking to China over the recent years, since the country is dubbed as the "next fashion capital" after Paris, New York, Milan, and London.