Brothel gang loses appeal against jail sentence

DUBAI // Seven human traffickers who attacked police officers with knives and swords during a raid on their brothel have lost an appeal against their three-year jail sentences. Two Emiratis, two Indians and two Bangladeshis, all between the ages of 22 and 29, and a 45-year-old stateless person had their convictions upheld by the Dubai Court of Appeal yesterday on charges of human trafficking, assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, threatening a police officer, theft, destruction of property, destruction of a police car and operating a brothel.

An eighth man, also Emirati, was cleared of all charges. The men were involved in a prostitution ring run by the two Emiratis, A A and M M, the Indian F S and the Bangladeshi J H. A A and M M also ran a protection racket. The seven were arrested after a tip-off from a Nepalese woman they had abducted to be a sex worker.  She told prosecutors: "I was beaten up and forced to sleep with 25 men every day. So I called a friend on a mobile belonging to one of my customers, and asked for help."

A Dubai Police CID officer said a complaint was then filed by the Nepalese consulate about a woman who was being illegally held and forced into prostitution. On February 26, in the presence of a consular official, police raided two houses in Hamriya where the brothel was operating. As the police escorted the Nepalese woman from the house, a red pick-up truck arrived with five masked men who attacked the officers with swords and knives.

One officer was hit on the back of his head with a sharp object and fell to the floor. The gang also destroyed two police cars. [e-mail]