Indian police rescue two trafficked Ugandan women

Indian police have rescued two Ugandan women from sex work trafficking and arrested their suspected trafficker in an operation to free women held captive.

The women were rescued in Goa, India, after one of the victims contacted the Ugandan embassy, ​​after which the Ugandan diplomatic mission in India requested help from Indian police, local media reported.

In an interview with media house Herald Goa, Mandrem Police Commander Superintendent of Police (SP) Akshat Kaushal said, “…The trafficking system was preying on young, economically single mothers. vulnerable people from Uganda, luring them with false promises of employment in establishments in Goa. Upon arrival in India, the victims were forced into prostitution, had their passports and visas confiscated and were threatened with violence if they resisted. The traffickers imposed exorbitant debts on the victims, amounting to thousands of rupees.

SP Kaushal identified the trafficker as Jojo Nakintu, a Ugandan.
However, Nakintu is a Kiganda female first name, suggesting that the suspect may be using the passport of one of his victims or that the travel document is fake.

SP Kaushal said the suspect was expected to be charged with trafficking offenses in court.

According to the Herald Goa, the sex work racket set up websites and used agents to contact clients who would sleep with Ugandan women in India's Arambol township.

“The local non-governmental organization ARZ also participated in the operation. Single mothers and women from economically weak backgrounds were brought from Uganda after being promised jobs in Goa's hospitality sector as part of the racket,” SP Kaushal told The Print, an Indian media outlet.

In August last year, Ugandan police wrote to their counterparts in India seeking details of Ugandan women rescued in prostitution rings in several Indian cities.

This followed the rescue of six Ugandan women from brothels where they were allegedly held against their will in different incidents.

The Director of Interpol and International Relations of the Uganda Police Force, Ms. Grace Akullo, then said that the rescue of the Ugandan women was a matter of concern and that she wanted to shed light on how they ended up there- down.

“I have asked our anti-human trafficking teams to contact Interpol India for details of women claiming to be Ugandan who were rescued by Indian police,” Ms Akullo said.

“India is a destination for Ugandan women trafficked for sexual exploitation. There was a time when we rescued more than 200 women, who were young people, in a single operation. They were trafficked by Ugandan and Nigerian criminals after promising them good jobs, which never arrived,” she added.

Last year, the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar police rescued three Ugandan women. Indian police have arrested a Malawian woman who they accuse of trafficking Ugandan women for sexual exploitation.

Ms Akullo said some of the trafficked women are groomed to commit further crimes.
Several Ugandan women were arrested at several Indian airports transporting drugs to the Asian country.