Nine arrested for trafficking women

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

A shocking case of human trafficking has come to light in the Kingdom, where a network of seven women and two men, including a Bahraini national, were arrested for exploiting four Asian women. The victims were lured to Bahrain with promises of legitimate jobs as masseuses in salons, but were forced into prostitution.

The investigation began after a complaint was filed by the embassy of one of the Asian countries, alleging that the victims were being held captive and forced into sex work. The first victim, a 39-yearold woman, testified that she was promised a job as a masseuse in Bahrain. However, upon arrival, she was taken to a hotel room by the second suspect, a 38-yearold woman, and was shocked to find other women of the same nationality present.

She was then informed that her real job would be prostitution and was forced to hand over her passport. When the victim refused to comply, she was threatened with having to pay a large sum of money to return to her home country or being sold to other sex traffickers. The first suspect, a 46-yearold woman, was the mastermind behind the operation.

Captive

The victim was held captive and prevented from leaving the room until she contacted her embassy for help. Police arrived at the scene and apprehended the suspect. The second victim, also 39 years old, corroborated the first victim’s testimony. She was met at the airport by the fourth suspect, a 43-yearold woman, and the eighth suspect, a 44-year-old driver, and taken to a hotel. There, the seventh suspect, a 35-year-old woman, informed her that she would be working in prostitution.