12 Nepalese women arrested alongside suspected human trafficker
Police in Mombasa have cracked on an international human trafficking syndicate and arrested 12 Nepalese women and a man holding a Canadian passport during a Saturday morning raid.
Security officers managed to arrest the 13 in restaurant in Nyali in what the police describe as sex trafficking ring involving different internationals.
Coast region Deputy police commandant Joseph Chebii said the 4am raid was successful and they are following a lead to have more arrest.
The Nepalese women, who had temporary passes, were entertaining revelers at the club
A search was conducted at the club and money, mobile phones and documents were recovered.
@DCI_Kenya Detectives from the Transnational Organised Crime Unit early today raided a Club in Nyali and rescued Twelve victims of Human Trafficking-all #Nepalese ladies. The owner of the club one Mr.Asif Amirali Alibhai Jetha, a #Canadian arrested. All victims found well & safe. pic.twitter.com/10N4sZFJEk
— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) April 13, 2019
BAR OWNER
“We have been following this for the past two weeks after we received information of the group in the country. Police managed to raid New Ranyeela Bar and Restaurant in Nyali at 4am and found the 12 girls in the premises and a man who is said to be the owner of the bar,” said Mr Chebii.
“After questioning the 12 girls, police discovered they sneaked into the country through Lunga-Lunga border but it is yet to be established how they managed to reach Kenya from Napal,” he added.
The deputy commandant said they are investigating how the owner of the bar acquired a Canadian Passport yet his country of origin is different.
“The proprietor of the restaurant has been living in Kenya for some time but we are yet to establish how he got a Canadian passport and if it is genuine. We are working with different security organs in trying to unravel that since he is not a Canadian,” said Mr Chebii.
The Nation established the proprietor has been using the passport bearing the name Asif Amirali Alibhai JeJetha with number HM623827.
FACE CHARGES
Mr Chebii said the 13 suspects being held at Nyali Police Station and are expected to be arraigned in a Mombasa court on Monday to face various charges. He said they are working with a multi-agency security team to stop the crime and to ensure all porous borders are sealed.
“We have intensified crackdown in bars to curb such vice especially this holiday season. We are warning those practicing such crime to desist as they would not be spared,”
Sex trafficking is a kind of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, including sexual slavery where a victim is forced, in one of a variety of ways, into a situation of dependency on their traffickers and then used by said traffickers to give sexual services to customers especially in a bar or brothels.
In the past, police have been blamed for failing to seal off Kenyan Coastline to curb illegal immigrants which attributed to increasing cases of such vice.