Six charged in trafficking, prostitution operation

The lured runaway maid into the trade by charging her for a bed and telling her sex was the only way she could support herself, prosecutors said.

DUBAI // Six men were accused of human trafficking this morning as prosecutors said they persuaded a runaway maid that prostitution was the only way she could support herself.

Prosecutors said that the Indian defendants, two unemployed men and four workers identified as SK, 36; AN, 39; DK, 29; AM, 31; SP, 26; and NM, 28, sold RS, 31, twice: once for Dh2,000 to a man in Ras Al Khaimah and another time for Dh5,000 to a man in Dubai.

According to records, the trafficking and sales occurred between January 23 and 31.

RS told prosecutors that on January 23 she left her Emirati sponsor's house at night to buy some groceries without her sponsor's knowledge or permission. She said he had left for a wedding but returned and knew she left. He called her, angry, and she was scared to return to the house. At that point, she said, she met AN.

She said AN helped her and drove her to an Indian woman's house, then a Filpina woman's house to stay the night. They wanted to charge her for the bed, however, and she told them she did not have any money.

She testified they persuaded her to work in prostitution because it was the only work she could do her without her passport, which was still with her employer.

AN and SK took her to a house in Ras al Khaimah and left her with DK and NM, to whom they sold her as a prostitute, records show.

Three days later, DK and NM took her to a flat in Dubai where she was kept with many other women of different nationalities who worked in prostitution, prosecutors said.

Police learned of the flat and arranged to buy RS from AM and SP. A police informer gave the signal for officers to move in and make an arrest after handing over the money, records show.

The next hearing will be on June 12.