The young man argued he had nothing to do with the crime and was just doing his job.
A young African man, who worked as a watchman at two brothels run by a human trafficking gang, recently stood trial at the Ras Al Khaimah Criminal Court.
He was arrested along with the gangsters in a sting operation done at the houses used for flesh trade. All of them are facing charges, but the hearing for the duo is yet to be held.
The young man argued he had nothing to do with the crime and was just doing his job.
Court records showed that the gang had lured several young woman into the country with the false promise of lucrative jobs.
The moment they arrived, they were allegedly kept in two separate houses and their passports and phones were taken away. They were forced into prostitution, authorities have learnt. The police were alerted to the scheme after a young woman escaped from the house and approached the authorities.
A task force was immediately formed to verify the tip-off and gather all possible information.
An undercover policeman approached the first of the reported houses as a customer, and then asked the first suspect to get him a prostitute. He was told they were all busy with other customers. He then went to the second house and did the same.
After the check, he left the scene and called in the CID team, who raided the house and arrested all three suspects, as well as the women.
The young watchman denied the charges, claiming he had nothing to do with the gangsters involved in the case. “I knew nothing about the nature of their work,” he told the court.
“I was only working as a watchman of the house of the first defendant for food and shelter until I get a better job.”
His defence lawyer argued that the prosecution and arrest procedures are “null and void”. “The name of my client was not included in the prosecution arrest permit.”
He added that the defendant was “only receiving his employers’ guests and did not know about the illegal scheme”.
