Two arrested over human trafficking

Police are holding two people suspected of involvement in human trafficking. The suspects were arrested last week in a hotel in Nyabugogo with three potential victims who were being readied for a trip to Nairobi, Kenya, Police said. They are being held at Kicukiro Police Station as more investigations continue. Investigations indicate that the two operated a racket that targeted girls above 20 years old and single mothers with children above five years, who would be lured to “work” abroad with promise to earn between $450 (about Rwf300,000) and $500 (about Rwf340,000). Police spokesperson Celestin Twahirwa underscored that human trafficking in Rwanda is a real threat and not a myth – and urged the public to always provide timely information that helps Police to burst the rackets. “We would like the public to be aware of these conmen and women who lure young unsuspecting girls and boys into trafficking by promising them heaven on earth yet they end up in misery,” Twahirwa said. He urged the public to report suspicious characters by giving timely and accurate leading information so that Rwanda National Police can, on the lines are free toll 112, 113, 3512 and email info@police.gov.rw, on Twitter (@RwandaPolice), and on Facebook (Rwanda Police). Tony Kulamba, the commissioner for Interpol at Rwanda National Police, said that joint investigations are underway to combat human traffickers in the country and beyond. “We have established partnership with regional Police Forces and Interpol to combat organised and transnational crimes,” Kulamba said. “Five girls have been returned to Rwanda in the last two months and more are yet to arrive mainly from Asian countries and we shall show them to you as usual.” However, one of the suspects denied the crime and tried to justify what she does as a popular business in regional countries. “My husband (in Kenya) has a company which he runs with other friends. It is this company that employed me on a mission to mobilise young beautiful Rwandan girls aged 20 years and above for employment,” she said. The suspect said it was in this line that she recruited the other suspect to help her identify such girls in Rwanda. But the male suspect told the media that he was not aware that his actions were tantamount to human trafficking, adding that he would never have got involved in it if he had known. “I thought she (the co-accused) had jobs for them abroad as she had explained, I had no idea that I was getting involved in such criminal acts,” he said. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Two arrested over human trafficking