A maid has told how she was kidnapped at knifepoint by a fellow domestic worker in an attempt to force her into prostitution.
Dubai Court of First Instance was told the Filipino maid was awoken by her colleague at 3am at their home in Khor Fakkan, Sharjah, and encouraged to run away.
The 30-year-old Filipino said: “I told her that the family were treating me well and I didn’t want to escape, but she threatened me with a knife and forced me to get in a car.”
The car was driven by the colleague’s boyfriend and the vehicle headed towards Dubai International Airport.
The Filipino asked them to stop the vehicle so she could use the toilet and they agreed. “I spoke to the Filipino toilet cleaner and told her about my situation and used her phone to call my sponsor,” the housemaid added.
The maid then sneaked into a taxi and was taken back to her sponsor, who called the police.
When the other maid and her boyfriend were arrested, they told police they were part of a plot with three others.
The court charged five people with attempted human trafficking. The main defendant, a Bangladeshi maid who was running the brothel, was paying Dhs1,000 to anyone who brought her a woman to sell her into the sex trade.
All the defendants pleaded not guilty and the case was adjourned.
