Police dismantle family-run human trafficking ring: Four Asians, including woman, arrested

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A human trafficking ring, which exploited women with fake job offers and forced them into prostitution, has been dismantled, with four suspects, including one woman, sentenced to prison by Bahrain’s High Criminal Court. The group, all Asian nationals, lured women into the Kingdom with promises of legitimate work, only to trap them in a nightmare of exploitation.

The investigation revealed a chilling operation orchestrated by the first defendant, a woman who used her network of family and friends to control and manipulate the victims.

She hired the second defendant, her friend, to act as a guard for the women; the third defendant, her friend’s son, was tasked with transporting the victims between different locations; and the fourth defendant, her brother, was responsible for cooking and selling food to the women, keeping them in captivity.

In a landmark ruling, the first and second defendants were sentenced to five years in prison, a BD 3,000 fine, and deportation after their sentences are served. The third and fourth defendants were handed three-year sentences and a BD 2,000 fine each, with deportation to follow. All four were also ordered to pay for the repatriation of the victims.

The case began when one of the victims, a young woman, came across an enticing Facebook ad offering a job as a massage therapist in Bahrain. Desperate for work, she responded and travelled to the Kingdom, only to find herself trapped in a grim reality. Upon arrival, she was taken to a residential building, where the third defendant confiscated her passport and locked her in a room with other women from her home country.

“They told us we had to accept customers,” the victim recalled. “If we refused, they threatened to charge us for the recruitment and travel costs. We were trapped.” The women endured constant abuse and threats until one managed to escape and contact her embassy.

In a coordinated effort with the Anti-Human Trafficking Department, female police officers tracked down and arrested the suspects. The authorities uncovered a horrific web of manipulation, control, and exploitation, leading to charges of human trafficking, illegal transportation and housing of the victims, and forcing them into prostitution under duress.

The Public Prosecution has vowed to continue cracking down on such operations to protect vulnerable individuals from being preyed upon. This case serves as a stark reminder of the dark underbelly of human trafficking, and the determination of Bahrain’s law enforcement to fight against this pervasive crime. The defendants are now facing the consequences of their actions, with the full weight of the law bringing justice to those they victimized.