Gang sold Moroccan teen: police

Authorities storm house after undercover officer was approached at hotel with offer to purchase the female youth for Dh40,000.

Three people are accused of trying to sell a Moroccan teenager for Dh40,000 to an undercover policeman in Ajman. Major Ali Jaber, of the Nuamiya police station, said the two women and one man, identified only as Arabs, are suspected of bringing women from various Arab countries into the emirate and selling them to local prostitution rings.

He said the group claimed to be selling virgins. They were caught after approaching a police officer posing as a rich tourist at a major hotel. They asked the officer if he wanted to buy a virgin for Dh40,000, police said. Initially, they refused the undercover officer's request to pick up the girl himself, but eventually agreed on the condition they receive the full amount in cash. When the officer arrived at the address they gave him and handed over the money, they brought out the woman, described as being under 20.

Police stormed the house minutes later. They arrested the three suspects, aged between 35 and 37, and placed the woman in protective custody. All three denied trafficking the girl, claiming she had agreed to the arrangement and was to receive half of the money. "No matter what they say or did, they were trafficking this woman," said Maj Jaber. "This is a young woman and they are using a lot of money to try to corrupt her."

He said the suspects would be charged with human trafficking, and that the woman would be sent back to Morocco. Lt Col Seif al Matroushi, the head of Ajman CID, said the three were "middlemen for prostitution gangs". "They were not often selling all the girls except in special circumstances like when a buyer had a lot of money," he said. The case has been referred to prosecutors.
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