Trio found guilty of human trafficking, jailed for 10 years

sharjah — the sharjah criminal court has sentenced two men and a woman of an asian nationality to 10 years in prison followed by deportation after they were found guilty of being involved in human trafficking.

the three defendants were found guilty of deceiving a compatriot woman, exploiting her and forcing her into prostitution. the three accused brought the victim to the uae after convincing her to take up their job offer at a salon which would “give her a decent income”.

they received her at the airport, took away her passport, locked her up and forced her into prostitution for months. the victim told the court that she was tricked by the three defendants after they promised her a chance to work in a beauty salons. she said that she belonged to a poor family and wanted to come to the uae to find work to support her family. when she arrived in the country, she was taken to an apartment in sharjah, where she was surprised to find someone waiting for her, who told her that she would work as a prostitute.

meanwhile, the three defendants contacted four people, who came to the flat and took her to an unknown destination. they abused her physically and later dropped her back at the apartment. later she found that the first defendant, his wife and the other four had locked her inside the flat and left. she said she sought help from the watchman of the building. after the watchman opened the door of the apartment, she hurried to the police station and lodged a complaint against them. the accused fled the spot. the police arrested them later and referred them to the public prosecution.