2 Bangladeshis face trial for raping 2 Pinays in UAE

Two Bangladeshis faced trial in the United Arab Emirates over the weekend over charges they kidnapped and raped two Filipino women last April. A report posted on UAE-based news site Khaleej Times (www.khaleejtimes.com) did not name the Bangladeshis but said one of them was a salesman and the other a driver. Both men went on trial Sunday in the Court of First Instance on charges of kidnapping, illegal confinement, rape and attempted human trafficking. The two, described as in their 30s, were accused of kidnapping two Filipino housemaids on April 5 as they were walking down a street in Bani Yas in Abu Dhabi. Both men allegedly drove the Filipino women to an apartment in the Naif area in Dubai where they confined them for a couple of days. They later allegedly raped them and tried to force the women into prostitution. One of the Filipino women told the prosecutors that on the day of the kidnapping, she was walking with her compatriot and an Indonesian woman. “As we were wandering in Bani Yas in Abu Dhabi around 10 a.m. that day, a car stopped by us and three men stepped out," she said. She said she and the other Filipina were dragged into the car and they were warned not to look out of the windows or even talk. “The first defendant told us he would make us work in a hospital or in a shopping store," the Filipino complainant told police. But at the end of the trip, the two men took the women to a house. “I saw three Indonesian women inside a room. The first defendant locked the door from the outside after taking my phone SIM card," she said. Two days after being locked inside the room, the two Bangladeshis tried to rape her but she managed to keep them away by wielding a kitchen knife she found in the room. “The second defendant tried to have sex with me against my will and when I refused he grabbed my neck and tried to strangle me. I could push him away," the complainant said. She said she used the mobile phone of an Indonesian woman to seek the help of her sister in Saudi Arabia, who in turn called the police. But the two men allegedly evaded the Criminal Investigation Department officers by moving to another building before police could track and reach the apartment where the women were held. Also, one of the Filipino complainants told police that one of the Indonesian women, who was in the room, told her that they worked as prostitutes for the first defendant. The second complainant confirmed her compatriot’s testimony. “In the house we were taken to in Dubai, I saw men having sex with two Indonesian women in one of the rooms," she said. On the other hand, the second complainant claimed that the first bdefendant raped her after threatening to kill her. “Two days later, he came back and raped me after his accomplice stopped me from moving," the Filipina told prosecutors. She claimed the other defendant also had sex with her against her will. After receiving the call from the complainant’s sister, the police called the complainant, who gave them some indications of the surroundings where they were confined. About 3:30 a.m. of April 9, the police raided the apartment in Freej Al Murar. “The defendants tried to run away, but could not. The two plaintiffs were there along with other Indonesian women," a police lieutenant was quoted by the report as saying. - GMANews.TV