Three jailed for sexually exploiting expat teens in Dubai

Dubai : Two men and a woman, all Bangladeshis and in their forties, have had their ten-year prison sentence upheld for each by the Court of Appeals as they were convicted again of human trafficking.

The Court of First Instance found them guilty in last November of forcing two compatriot young girls into illegal massage services and prostitution.

Their deportation order was also upheld.

According to prosecution records, the three accused brought the two girls, aged then 15 and 19, from their country to work as maid and masseuse.

However, once they picked them up from the airport, they seized their passport and visa, and forced them under beating and intimidation to give illegal massage services to men and to work in prostitution.

The two girls were forced to work from 10 am to midnight without being fully paid.

The 19-year-old Bangladeshi girl said in the investigation that she used to study at the Science College in her home town. She arrived at Sharjah International Airport on September 9, 2014, and was taken to a flat in Deira where she stayed for 6 months.

She was dropped at different flats across Dubai where she was forced to give massage services to men.

One day, she contacted the police with the help of a customer after the defendants told her she would work in prostitution to gain more money.

A policeman said that they raided a flat in Al Rafaa after being tipped off on March 1, 2015.

They found women of different nationalities working in massage and prostitution. 

The verdict may still be appealed within 30 days at the Court of Cassation.