Four women were rescued from an alleged human trafficking ring on Wednesday, 2 March. Photo: SAPS.
Four women rescued from human trafficking syndicate in ‘luxurious house’
Women – aged 19 to 27 – were lured to Durban from Joburg with a lucrative job offer. Later, the ‘boss’ revealed they would have to work in the sex trade business.
Four women were rescued from an alleged human trafficking ring on Wednesday, 2 March. Photo: SAPS.
The police in KwaZulu-Natal saved four young women from an alleged human trafficking syndicate in Durban on Wednesday, 2 March. The women were allegedly lured from Johannesburg to the coastal city by a lucrative job offer.
FOUR WOMEN LURED TO DURBAN
KZN police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nqobile Gwala said “Unscrupulous people are always lurking amongst us seeking to prey on the vulnerable and desperate members of the community.”
That is exactly what happened in this case, according to the police. The suspects promised five women – aged between 19 and 27 – a well-paying call centre job and paid for their bus tickets to Durban.
“The ladies alleged that one of them met an individual in Johannesburg who told her about this job opportunity in Durban which would require her working at a Call Centre where they would be selling sim cards to the elite in the society,” explained Gwala.
The suspect asked one of the women to recruit others for the job and even met with her mother to prove the legitimacy of the job offer. They were convinced and four more women were roped in.
On 28 February, five women left Johannesburg for Durban. They were picked up at the bus terminal and taken to a “very luxurious house” in Durban North on 29 February.
“Upon arrival, they were asked to freshen up and rest before meeting the boss who was going to outline the details of their work.
“Once they had arrived, one of the five ladies decided that she did not want to stay and she left as soon as they got to the house,” said the police spokesperson.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING CASE OPENED
When the four women met with the “boss” the story changed and they were told they would be involved in the sex trade business, said Gwala.
The women were told not to go to the front of the house where they could be spotted by other people. The women also reported that they were kept in a room with the curtains permanently drawn and that the “boss” called them in individually and touched them inappropriately.
Without the suspects’ knowledge, one of the women used her cellphone to call for help from the outside.
Her appeal for help eventually reached the office of the KZN police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi who led the rescue operation on Wednesday, 2 March.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) is investigating a case of human trafficking.
READ: ‘Elite team’: SAPS Special Task Force to compete in Dubai SWAT Challenge
