Three members of a recruitment agency in Dubai is under investigation after allegedly locking up five Filipina housemaids who were returned by their respective potential employers.
According to one of the housemaids, they were locked up from weeks to months inside a room in a flat and they were only allowed to go to the kitchen. The housemaid added that they were also not allowed to use their phones and that at times, they were being physically abused by the three suspects, reported Gulf News.
Another housemaid, meanwhile, sustained injuries after falling from the building while the women were attempting to escape the building using a rope made of blankets. After the group managed to escape, they were able to contact the authorities to seek for help.
The authorities apprehended the agency’s owner, an Egyptian businessman, his Jordanian partner and a Filipina woman who worked for the company. The agency flew the housemaids to Dubai, however, when they were rejected and returned by their employers, the agency locked them up inside a flat and threatened them of the possible consequences if they decide to escape.
All three pleaded not guilty before the Dubai Court of First Instance.
The hearing will reconvene on November 18.
