Human trafficking enquiries
A leafy Dunblane housing estate has become the unlikely setting for a human trafficking investigation.
Cockburn Avenue, where tennis coach Judy Murray used to own a home, is where a Vietnamese woman asked a member of the public to help her after escaping her captors.
The distressed 21-year-old had wandered there at around 10.55pm, on Thursday, September 13.
After the police were called, it was discovered that she was the victim of human trafficking and had managed to get away from the place she was being held before reaching Dunblane. Inquiries so far suggest that she may have come from north of the town, possibly the rural Tayside area.
Officers are urging residents and motorists to come forward if they have any information and they are keen to trace the perpetrators in case there are other victims needing assistance.
A woman walking through the Cockburn Avenue area yesterday confirmed that she was helping CID with their enquiries and that she couldn’t give any more details.
Ali Mohammed, who works at the Dunblane Mini Market, said he was shocked that this kind of crime had happened in the wider area.
“It’s not something you would ever expect to hear about,”he said.“There’s been nothing like this around Dunblane before as long as I can remember.”
Police are asking motorists, who may have been travelling along the A9 during the evening when the trafficking victim was discovered, to come forward if they have any relevant information.
Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Thacker of Forth Valley public protection unit said:“At the moment, we are continuing to liaise with the young woman as to her ordeal and try to establish a more definitive location as to where she has fled from.
“As such we are focussing our attention on the A9 area and would be eager to hear from anyone who remembers seeing a lone female walking in a distressed state in the hours before 10.55pm on September 13th.
“Similarly, anyone with any other relevant information should also contact police immediately.
“At this time there is nothing to suggest Dunblane itself is central to this inquiry, nor have we identified any other victims from the region. However, it’s essential we identify those responsible to establish if any other individuals require our assistance. If you know anything, then please get in touch.”
Those with information can contact Stirling CID via 101 and quote incident number 4340 of September 13. Alternatively, an anonymous report can be made to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.