Trafficker Exploits Runaway Maids

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

A woman known as ‘the saviour’ among runaway domestic workers has been unmasked as the operator of a human trafficking network in Bahrain, preying on vulnerable women with false promises and profiting from their exploitation.

She was arrested by the Anti-Human Trafficking Division at the Ministry of Interior following a surveillance operation triggered by a confidential tipoff.

Officers apprehended her at a flat in the capital, which had been turned into a hideout for undocumented workers.

False Promises

Investigations revealed that the woman had lived in Bahrain for three to four years, initially working part-time in homes.

Over time, she shifted into trafficking, targeting housemaids who had fled their legal sponsors.

She promised them food, shelter, and new employment.

Instead, she took control of their movement and placements, charging BD35 per household while paying BD5 to taxi drivers who transported the workers.

One such worker was found in the apartment during the raid, having recently escaped her employer with the trafficker’s help.

Court Ruling

The Third High Criminal Appeals Court upheld a six-month prison sentence and a BD500 fine for the woman, identified as the mastermind of the operation.

She was convicted of knowingly assisting and sheltering an illegal resident.

A second woman, a domestic worker whose visa had expired, was fined BD10 and ordered to be deported.

She was reportedly among the trafficked workers facilitated by the main accused.

Authorities underscored the case as part of Bahrain’s broader campaign against human trafficking, highlighting the importance of vigilance, intelligence-led policing, and public cooperation to dismantle such networks and safeguard vulnerable residents.