DUBAI // Three men who persuaded two maids to run away from their sponsor before selling them into the sex industry have been jailed for five years each.
The Bangladeshis were convicted of trafficking the two Indonesian women, a charge they denied in August.
One 33-year-old victim told Dubai Criminal Court that she and the other maid were encouraged to flee their sponsor’s home in Ras Al Khaimah after five months in the UAE.
They were taken by one of the men to a hotel in RAK, where they spent the night before heading to Dubai.
“They took me to a flat in Dubai where I was sold for Dh4,000 and told I have to work in prostitution,” said the woman, who was locked up and assaulted when she refused.
She was forced to have sex with different men against her will, including one of the defendants, and escaped when she fell ill and was taken to a hospital.
“They gave me Dh500 for my treatment, which I used to hail a cab and head to a police station,” she said.
The second victim, 42, said her compatriot made arrangements with the defendants to run away from their sponsor without knowing they would be sold into the sex industry.
“We were both locked up after we refused to prostitute ourselves, but two days later I managed to run away while the man who was keeping guard of the flat fell asleep,” said the maid, who also went to the police.
The incident took place in June 2015 but the defendants were arrested in March last year.
A 35-year-old receptionist said he saw the men at the hotel in RAK where they booked four rooms.
“This was not the first time I saw one of the men. He had been a regular guest for over six years and every time he checks in, he comes with different women,” said the Indian.
Prosecutors said the men confessed to trafficking during investigations but they denied the charges in court.
They will all be deported after serving their prison terms.
salamir@thenational.ae
Brief scores:
Juventus 3
Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'
Frosinone 0
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How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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