Woman rescued from prostitution gang

A woman who said she was forced to become a prostitute was rescued yesterday by Gulf News thanks to a tip from one of the girl's clients.

Renu, a 28-year-old widow and mother of two, is in the care of the Indian Consulate in Dubai. She is waiting for her travel documents to be processed.

After receiving a tip from a client, Vinod (not his real name), Gulf News visited a villa in Jumeirah and made off with Renu from under the nose of her madam.

Renu, who hails from Kerala, came to the UAE on June 9 on a visit visa. She was promised a job as a babysitter. The youngest of four siblings, Renu said that since her husband died in a traffic accident a couple of years ago, she had become dependent on her siblings for survival.

With only a Grade 10 education, Renu saw her job opportunity here as a ray of hope. Her dream, however, turned into a nightmare as soon as she walked out of Dubai airport.

"Two men, Karim and Shaji, were responsible for getting me the visa. Karim was from my hometown of Vyannand and travelled with me to the UAE. It was Shaji who came to pick us up at the airport.

"We went to an apartment in Sharjah that was located somewhere near the Clock Tower. The other occupants of the apartment were three Indian women and two men. Nobody spoke to me except Karim.

"The next morning, two men came looking for Karim. One of them entered my room. Then someone locked the room from the outside. I panicked and had no idea what the hell was going on. The man, making advances at me, said I was brought here to work as prostitute and not as a babysitter... He raped me. According to him, he had paid Dh50 for half an hour and wanted his money's worth.

"That evening, I was beaten up by Karim and the other men who were like caretakers of the girls who lived in the apartment. I gave up and use to seek help from the clients who approached me. Some got irritated, while some listened to the story and laughed it off. My clients were Indians, Arabs and Pakistanis.

"Then, one day, I came across Vinod. He was sympathetic and soon became a regular visitor. Soon, he gained the confidence of madam, Shaji and Karim.

"One day, Vinod came up with a plan to smuggle me out. We almost succeeded, but Karim's men tracked us down and dragged me back.

"That evening, I was locked in a room without food or water and was kicked by Karim in the back and stomach. A month ago, I was brought to an apartment in Jumeraih. Vinod had promised me that I would be rescued.

"Usually, there are always some men in the villa keeping a watch on the clients. But when Gulf News came yesterday looking for me, there was no one... One of them had gone to Sharjah while the other two had gone to get some clients.

"I was in shock when Gulf News came looking for me. I heard them calling my name and asking me to come out... While I was making a run towards the getaway vehicle with Gulf News, I couldn't stop crying."