02 March 2008

Prostitution racket busted, 200 held

Dubai Police arrested 190 Asian women suspected to be involved in prostitution and 10 Bangladeshi nationals, allegedly working as pimps, in one of the biggest crackdowns on sex trade networks in the emirate on Saturday, Khaleej Times has learnt.

Around 8pm, the police received a tip-off that a number of women were involved in sex trade in some small hotels in Naif area. The police officials raided a number of hotels in the area and arrested 10 suspected pimps from Bangladesh and 190 women from Bangladesh, India and Indonesia.

Dubai Police has had several crackdowns on prostitution networks in the past. Around three months ago, they arrested 170 sex workers, which, according to the police, was one of the largest crackdowns in Dubai.

The 190 women arrested on Saturday are being interrogated. After the investigations, they will be referred to the Dubai Public Prosecution.

Earlier, Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Commander-in-chief of the Dubai Police, had said that the police would continue its crackdown on prostitution rings. The move comes after the UAE passed a law to combat human trafficking. He urged women duped into working for such networks to contact the police.

The UAE enacted a law in November last year making human trafficking punishable by life imprisonment, and has set up a state body to combat trafficking. Source

No comments: