Indian authorities in Greater Chennai have arrested two Indian nationals for allegedly subjecting four Kenyan women to sex slavery.
Prompt action by patrolling officers led to the discovery of a distressed Kenyan woman who had been forcefully expelled from a lodging and left stranded on the streets.
Upon locating the woman, diligent detectives swiftly followed up on the lead and proceeded to the implicated lodge to gather more information.
However, when questioned, the lodge managers adamantly denied any knowledge of the victim.
Suspicions arose, prompting the law enforcement officers to take the manager and his assistant into custody for further interrogation.
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The subsequent investigation uncovered the grim truth that the Kenyan women had been held captive at the lodge for an entire month, coerced into becoming sex workers against their will. Shedding light on the situation, a police report stated, "When police reached the lodge and enquired about the Kenyan woman, they feigned ignorance. On suspicion, police took the manager and his assistant into custody for questioning."
“When police reached the lodge and enquired about the Kenyan woman, they feigned ignorance. On suspicion, police took the manager and his assistant into custody for questioning,” a police report read in part.
It was revealed that the victims had been transported from their native Kenya to Chennai, India, on tourist visas.
Shockingly, it was discovered that one of the women's visas had already expired by the time they arrived in Chennai.
A section of the report stated, "The four women were discovered by the police to have been detained and forced into prostitution rings after being transported from their native Kenya to Chennai. The one woman's tourist visa had already expired when the four women arrived in Chennai on it."
In response to these distressing revelations, the police have initiated a rigorous crackdown on all lodges, hotels, and homestays in the area.
The Greater Chennai Police have launched a comprehensive investigation to determine whether other prostitution rings are operating within these establishments.
This decisive action is aimed at safeguarding potential victims and dismantling such exploitative networks.
“The Greater Chennai Police have started an investigation into all the inns, hotels, and homestays in the area to see if there are any other prostitution rings operating there,” the report further said.
These appalling incidents highlight the warnings issued by Roseline Njogu, the Principal Secretary of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, earlier in the month.
Njogu cautioned that unscrupulous agents were deceiving Kenyans by issuing tourist visas instead of the required work permits, leaving individuals stranded without any employment prospects abroad.
"Another huge problem we have is human trafficking where you see an advert and apply and the Visas are processed in a strange way, you are given a tourist visa instead of a work permit,” Njogu elucidated.
“They even pay for your ticket and when you land you realise that there was no job,"
As this distressing case unfolds, it serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for heightened vigilance in combating human trafficking and protecting vulnerable individuals from falling prey to exploitative practices.
The authorities, both in India and Kenya, must work in collaboration to dismantle these criminal networks, hold the perpetrators accountable, and ensure the safety and well-being of all potential victims.