London: A sex trafficking gang offered to sell under-age girls to wealthy businessmen for up to £150,000 (Dh850,166) each.
The three women and a man were offering girls as young as 13 but were arrested in an under-cover Scotland Yard operation after staff at a luxury hotel tipped off police.
One of the women had arrived at a hotel in Knightsbridge, central London, in a silver BMW to offer the gang's services in a handwritten letter to the owner in August last year.
It read: I have 12 girls ready from the age 14-20 years, who are living all over the UK, I have spent money on the preparation of this event such as a rented house for the girls and also all expenses needed.
Worried staff immediately alerted police who traced the car and telephone number given in the letter to an address in Wigan where Fatima Hagnegat, 24, lived with her husband, Rassoul Gholampour. Detectives then exchanged messages with the gang under the guise of potential clients.
One undercover officer known as Cameron spoke to Hagnegat's aunt, Marohkh Jamali, 41, who stated she could provide girls from Iran, England and Eastern Europe aged between 14 and 20.
The officer arranged to meet Jamali who told him some of her girls were virgins.
She said she would bring up to five girls to London, including two 13-year-olds, and would expect £50,000 to £150,000 for each.
The next day Jamali went to a different London hotel, in Bayswater, accompanied by Hagnegat and six girls, two of whom were aged 14 and 17. The other four were 18 or older.
Officers swooped and arrested Jamali and Hagnegat. The six victims said they were driven down from Wigan to earn money dancing for rich men. They only found out they may be asked to have sex with the men when they arrived.
The gang members, all jobless and Iranian, pleaded guilty to trafficking and prostitution offences at Harrow Crown Court on Tuesday and will be sentenced on Wednesday.
