Dubai: A tailor has denied trafficking a woman and detaining her in a flat where she claimed he raped her the first day she came to work as a housemaid in Dubai.

"I did not violate the human trafficking law… I am not guilty and did not force her into prostitution, but she is the one who refused to work [as] a housemaid and asked to work in the sex trade," argued the 42-year-old Bangladeshi tailor when he defended himself Thursday before the Dubai Court of First Instance.

Prosecutors charged the defendant, S.A., with locking up his compatriot woman, P.S., in a flat against her will and raping her. He was charged with sexually exploiting the woman and forcing her into prostitution, in collaboration with an unidentified suspect.

When Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad levelled the charges of human trafficking, unlawful detention and rape against S.A., the latter strongly denied the accusations.

According to the charge sheet, the suspect flew the woman to Dubai after persuading her that she would be working as a housemaid for an Emirati family.

In her statement before prosecutors, 20-year-old P.S. testified: "I paid around Dh3,150 to a woman in my hometown who promised to offer me a housemaid's job in Dubai… S.A. received me at the airport. He took me in a cab to a flat where he asked me to rest for three days before taking me to the sponsor.

"He forced me to work in prostitution… firstly I refused and told him that I came to work a housemaid. But he beat and forced me to sleep with men for money. One day I opened a window and cried for help... some pedestrians called the police whoich raided the flat and arrested S.A."

Two policemen testified that they raided the flat in Hamdan area and rescued her.

The trial continues.

In a second human trafficking case this week, three Bangladeshi suspects denied the charge of exploiting a girl and forcing her into prostitution.

They denied trafficking M.P., who claimed they detained her in a flat which they allegedly ran as a brothel. One also denied raping her. The trial continues.