Defendant helped woman escape from sponsor then hired her in massage and sex services
Dubai: A man has been jailed for five years for sexually exploiting an absconding housemaid, whom he met on Facebook.
The 28-year-old Bangladeshi man, M.T., helped the Indonesian maid abscond from her sponsor and then exploited her sexually by making her work in prostitution and offer indecent services as a masseuse in February 2015.
He also tried to sell her for Dh3,000 to a police informant.
The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted M.T. of committing a human trafficking crime, exploiting the maid sexually and benefiting from the revenues of the sexual services she provided to unknown men.
Presiding judge Mohammad Jamal also referred the accused to the Dubai Misdemeanours Court where N.T. will be prosecuted for having consensual sex with the maid and overstaying in the UAE after his visa expired.
According to Sunday’s ruling, the defendant will be deported following the completion of his punishment.
N.T. pleaded not guilty and denied committing a human trafficking crime. However he confessed that he had consensual sex with the maid.
According to court records, the Indonesian was sent back home based on an administrative deportation order.
A police lieutenant from Dubai Police’s anti-human trafficking section said the accused was detained while attempting to sell two maids for Dh8,000 to an informant.
“An informant warned us that M.T. was planning to sell two maids to work in prostitution for Dh4,000 each. The informant contacted the defendant and convinced him to collect Dh3,000 [per woman] in Al Baraha. A police team remained on the watch while the deal was being struck. As part of a sting operation, the defendant was arrested along with the Indonesian woman. Upon questioning, the defendant admitted that he had earlier helped the woman abscond from her sponsor in Al Barsha. M.T. said he made her work in prostitution and as a masseuse in a flat in Naif.
“When I questioned her, the maid claimed that she met M.T. on Facebook and he helped her run away from her sponsor. She claimed that she agreed to work in prostitution and as a masseuse. She said she had consensual sex with M.T. whenever she stayed at his flat. The woman claimed that she did not know that the accused was selling her to work in prostitution when she was arrested,” the lieutenant testified.
Sunday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
