Three human trafficking suspects arrested, Thai women used for sexual exploitation rescued in Pretoria

Three people have been arrested in Pretoria after three Thai women were rescued at a house in Garsfontein. File Picture: Nhlanhla Phillips

Three people have been arrested in Pretoria after three Thai women were rescued at a house in Garsfontein. File Picture: Nhlanhla Phillips

Published Jul 21, 2023

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Authorities have arrested three individuals suspected of human trafficking and rescued three Thai women who were being held for sexual exploitation in a house in Garsfontein, east of Pretoria.

The Hawks, a specialised crime-fighting unit, were alerted to the situation when one of the victims managed to escape and reported to the Thai Embassy that she had been detained for sexual exploitation.

This led to the involvement of law enforcement and social services.

Colonel Katlego Mogale, spokesperson for the Hawks, said, “The information was followed up and contact was made with one of the victims who was still held against her will at the premises.”

Members of the Hawks' serious organised crime investigation, supported by the Tshwane Metro Police Department’s K9 unit and the SAPS Pretoria K9 unit, gained access to the house and rescued two more victims.

Photo: TMPD (Arrive Alive website)

Mogale announced that the suspects will soon face charges of trafficking in persons in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court.

Major General Ebrahim Kadwa, the provincial head of the Hawks in Gauteng, applauded the joint team for the successful rescue of the women and the arrest of the alleged perpetrators.

This is not the first such incident. In 2021, the Hawks apprehended an Ethiopian national and rescued 32 of his compatriots who are believed to have been trafficked into South Africa. The Johannesburg Metro Police Department initially reported that 33 victims of human trafficking had been rescued.

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