QUICK thinking on Wednesday saved human trafficking victims lured to a farm near Odendaalsrus in the Free State.
Hawks spokesman Captain S’fiso Nyakane said a victim managed to alert the international police organisation Interpol to the incident. The victims claim they were lured there with the promise of office jobs.
The farm’s living conditions were bad and when they realised the men had to look after the livestock while the women were forced to act as domestic workers, they realised they had been tricked. Guards were at the gate.
Nyakane told Daily Sun the unsuspecting victims from Lesotho had met through fellow citizens. Due to jobs being scarce, the desperate victims weren’t suspicious when they were told about jobs in the Free State.
Nyakane said suspects aged 21 – 68 were bust after an intelligence-driven operation by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Unit, Welkom cops and Odendaalsrus detectives.
“Our members followed up on information received from Interpol about a victim was allegedly trafficked from Lesotho and kept against her will at a farm in Odendaalsrus.”
Investigations led the team to a village in Welkom, where two woman suspects believed to be recruiters were bust. A receptionist and a security guard were bust at a lodge apparently operating as a brothel in Welkom and four victims were rescued.
The suspects are expected to appear in Welkom Magistrates Court on Friday and Monday.
