Dubai man lures 16-year-old into prostitution

A 36-year-old man faced a human trafficking charge in court on Wednesday for allegedly exploiting a minor and forcing her into prostitution.

The jobless Indian man, together with two runaway accomplices including the victim's cousin, allegedly took advantage of the 16-year-old Pakistani girl's vulnerability and desperate need for money to lure her into prostitution.
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The accused, the victim's cousin and another accomplice (a cleaner) brought the victim from her country and arranged for her to meet men for paid sex.

He denied in the Court of First Instance the charges of human trafficking and exploiting other unknown women.
Also read: Two Sharjah men force wives into prostitution for expenses

The victim said that her family back home was in desperate need of money as her father was sick and was to undergo a surgery costing about Dh80,000.

"My cousin, who was working in prostitution in Dubai, told me to work with her as it would be a profitable job and that I would then afford the surgery for my father," the victim told the investigators. The victim said she agreed as she loved her father.
Also read: Dubai teen gets pregnant 'after mother forces her into prostitution'

Her cousin allegedly told her father about the nature of the job and he refused at first but then changed his mind with her insistence. He allegedly accepted provided he be with his daughter to know the place where she would work.

The victim arrived at Dubai International Airport with her father in January. However, the accused and her cousin made her father return shortly afterwards because he was against her working in prostitution.
Also read: UAE has strict rules against prostitution

The accused admitted to the investigators that two months prior to the complaint, he met the cleaner and the latter told him that he had women available to have sex for money.

The other man told him to arrange for clients and told him he would get Dh50 for every man. The two men then arranged for pleasure-seekers to go to hotels where the victim would be brought by her cousin.
Also read: Woman lies about being forced into prostitution

The accused also confessed he would show clients photos of women sent to him by his accomplice.

The police arrested the defendant in a sting operation when he and the other man sent the victim to a hotel room in Naif. He admitted he had just collected Dh600 from a Sudanese man when the CID officers raided the place.

A police lieutenant said they arrested the accused after receiving a tip-off that he was exploiting a minor in prostitution.

The victim said that she would see 2-3 men a day and that her cousin would collect Dh600 from every client.

mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai

Marie Nammour

mary@khaleejtimes.com