Man lured women to his brothel, Dubai court hears

Four people are charged with forcing two women into prostitution.

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DUBAI // A pimp lured vulnerable women to his brothel with promises of better-paid jobs before beating them, raping them and taking pictures of them naked, a court heard today.

One of the women, an 18-year-old Ethiopian, told prosecutors at the Criminal Court that she absconded from her sponsor after five months because his wife had become physically abusive.

She ended up in a brothel in the Hamdan area run by two Bangladeshi men - DH, 28, and FA, 38, and an Indonesian madam, MB, 23. She said that one of the men - DH - "beat me for three days before he took away my virginity".

Another woman, a 26-year-old Indonesian, told the court she absconded from her sponsor in February 2012 after a year and a half. A fellow maid told her to seek employment with one of the brothel's owners, but did not tell her what the line of work would be. When she arrived she was kidnapped, photographed naked, raped and beaten with a metal bar so severely she was bedridden for the next two weeks.

Another maid, a 33-year-old Indonesian, said she also absconded after being promised a salary of Dh1,500 a month. She said she grew suspicious after arriving at a flat where a large number of women were wearing revealing clothes. When she realised it was a brothel she asked to be returned to her sponsor, but was beaten and locked up. When she tried to run away with another woman both were caught and beaten with metal bar.

Eventually she managed to steal a mobile phone and call her sponsor's wife. Police then tracked her call and raided the flat in Hamdan.

An Emirati police officer said officers found condoms, contraceptives, revenue notebooks and money transfers receipts. Prosecutors said that photographs and recordings of an injured woman were found on the mobile phone of one of the pimps. The recording was dated March 16, 2012.

DH, FA and MB were all charged with running a brothel. They and JH, a 40-year-old Bangladeshi, were also charged with human trafficking.

DH was also charged with raping two women.

All of the defendents denied all the charges. The next hearing was scheduled for October 21.

salamir@thenational.ae