Gang held for human trafficking

Manama : An investigation into the disappearance of a housemaid has led to capture of a gang of human traffickers. A housemaid living with a family in northern governorate was lured to Hamala where she was locked up in an apartment. 

When she found an unsecured Wi-Fi connection, she sent messages to her friend on Facebook asking for help but she was unable to tell her exact location. However, the housemaid took a photo of a signboard outside the apartment and sent it to the friend. 

According to a report in Interior Ministry’s publication Al Amn, the police were able to find the signboard after hours of investigations.

Investigations revealed that the gang conned women by offering them high salary jobs, but they forced them into prostitution. 

“Investigations began when a 50-year-old man reported that his housemaid, who had been in Bahrain for barely a month, had run away. He said the woman did not have a Bahrain phone number and knew very little about the country. He was worried that she might have run into trouble,” the report stated.

“Four hours after he reported the maid’s disappearance, the man informed the police officers that his other housemaid had received a Facebook message from the missing woman, who said she had been locked up in a room and was being forced into prostitution,” it said.

Northern Governorate Police Head of Operations Captain Tawfeeq Al Alawi said police located the apartment and found the housemaid and three other women. “The suspects were arrested and referred to the Public Prosecution.”

The report also mentioned that the housemaid was tricked by another woman, who was from her own country. 

“The housemaid revealed that a fellow countrywoman approached her when she went to a cold store. She offered her a job with a hefty salary. Finding the amount lucrative, the housemaid escaped from the sponsor’s house,” the report said. 

“She was picked up by someone in a car and taken to the Hamala apartment. After reaching there, she realised that she had been trapped in the hands of a human trafficking gang. She also learnt that those who refused to take orders from the captors were subjected to severe physical abuse,” it added.