According to their attorney, several contestants in the Miss Universe Indonesia beauty pageant have reported organisers to police on charges of sexual harassment.
The seven contestants who advanced to the final round, which was held in Jakarta from July 29 to August 3, were reportedly instructed to strip off two days before the pageant's crowning ceremony.
The contestants' attorney, Mellisa Anggraini, told AFP that representatives from the organization that holds the Miss Universe license in Indonesia, PT Capella Swastika Karya, insisted they "have to examine any scars, cellulite, or tattoos on their bodies."
It was initially intended to be a fitting, so the finalists were unaware that they would be put through such a procedure, Ms Anggraini told AFP.
She claimed that five of the pageant's 30 finalists had their pictures taken in addition to being subjected to the unexpected body check.
She predicted that as more finalists gave her permission to report the incidents, the number of contestants coming forward with complaints would increase.
On August 8, reporters were informed by Jakarta police spokeswoman Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko that the candidates had submitted a police report.
According to him, the report served as "the basis for our further investigation" by the police, who started looking into the complaint.
Miss Universe Indonesia's national director, Poppy Capella, thanked individuals who had shared "their views, feelings, and perspectives" over the incident but did not confirm or refute the allegations in an Instagram post.
"Your comments are not mere words: they are a potent force," she wrote.
