UAE | Crime
Ras Al Khaimah police arrest members of prostitution racket
Surveillance operation catches suspects after tip-off they preyed on Asian maids and sold them for Dh2,000 to Dh5,000.
- By Nasouh Nazzal, Staff Reporter
- Published: 01:00 April 11, 2008
Ras Al Khaimah: Police announced on Thursday they had broken up a prostitution ring which mainly targeted Asian women.
The gang preyed on maids between the ages of 20 to 35-years-old and a victim was sold for Dh2,000 to Dh5,000
The CID's Investigation Section said police arrested the three members of the gang (two in Ras Al Khaimah and the third in another emirate) who had been selling women to a third party in another emirate.
Lieutenant Colonel Salem Sultan Al Darmaki, who heads the section, said the mastermind of the gang was a Filipina who worked with two men, an Arab and an Asian.
The Filipina and the Arab, based in Ras Al Khaimah, sold women to the Asian in another emirate, who in turn sold them into prostitution.
Speaking at a press conference Lieutenant Colonel Al Darmaki said the suspects were put under police surveillance when a police undercover agent received a tip-off from an Asian victim that she had been duped by a Filipina woman and an Arab in Ras Al Khaimah and had been sold to a man in another emirate where she was later forced into prostitution.
The woman told the police agent that the gang members were only interested in making money and did not care about the women's welfare.
Raid
General Shaikh Taleb Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Chief of RAK Police, led a team of investigators to look into the case. The team identified the suspects and their residence in Ras Al Khaimah, where they were put under around-the-clock police surveillance
Lieutenant Colonel Al Darmaki said the police received a tip-off that the Filipina and Arab were in the process of selling a new victim in a commercial establishment in Ras Al Khaimah.
The police carried out a raid and caught the duo. He added the three suspects had earlier agreed to trap Asian maids in the 20 to 35-year-old age group and had successfully sold seven of them, a victim was sold for Dh2,000 to Dh5,000, and the money was split between them.
He added that some of the women had been forced into prostitution and others had willingly agreed to it. In an operation conducted between various UAE police departments, five victims of the gang were detained and brought in.
The suspects were referred to the Public Prosecution for charges to be pressed.
Lieutenant Colonel Al Darmaki called on families employing maids to be vigilant as they could be easy prey for such gangs. He said that Emirati and expatriate families should instantly tell the emirate's authorities if their maids abscond.
During police investigations, the two suspects revealed to the police the name and place of residence of their third partner in the other emirate.
The Filipina and the Arab national had been living in the same house for the past year, as a couple but the police proved that they were not married. Lieutenant Colonel Al Darmaki said after checking the files of the suspects, it was proved that the Asian man has earlier been deported from the UAE but later infiltrated the country.
The Filipina had violated UAE immigration laws, the Arab suspect was an employee with a department in Ras Al Khaimah.
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