Also rescued during the raid were two women of Ugandan nationality and one Tanzanian, bringing the total of women rescued during the operation in Hyderabad to 17.
The Anti-Human Trafficking unit of India police raided a three-storey building located in Kondapur area where the seventeen women were rescued.
According to the police, the ring leader of the prostitution ring connected with the women online and lured them to India.
They came on medical and tourist visas, some of which have since expired and were offered accommodation and other facilities by the ring.
The ring then proceeded to exploit the women and collected an estimated Sh4602 and Sh30682 from clients who procured their services.
The Hindu Newspaper and website quoted detectives privy to the investigations confirming that the ring leader “created a section on the ‘Locanto’ classified site where he uploaded the profiles and operated his prostitution racket. The women have been going around multiple cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad”.
Police recovered assorted sex toys, 104 condoms, HIV testing kits and hookah pots from the house.
Government cautions Kenyans over fake jobs South Asia and false promises
The rescue comes barely days after the Kenyan government cautioned its citizens not to be lured to South Asia with suspicious deals only to end up in slavery.
READ: 2 Kenyan women running sex syndicate in India arrested, 5 rescued
A notice issued by the government dated August 16 stated that dozens of Kenyans and other nationals of East Africa have been lured to Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia to work as English Language instructors only to end up overworked and underpaid in slavery-like conditions with some ending up in worse situations.
Thailand has also been flagged after a stranded Kenyan died in hospital with the Kenyan Embassy in Thailand noting that it had recently worked with local authorities to rescue more than 140 Kenyans and other East Africans who were held in deplorable conditions.
Human traffickers and recruiters up their game
Human traffickers have upped their game with recruiters tasking other Kenyans to lure their compatriots with false promises of better opportunities.
“Despite extensive warnings and awareness campaigns, the persistence of these scams remains a significant concern” Kenyan Embassy in Thailand noted.
According to the Embassy, most Kenyans are duped with fake advertisements of well-paying jobs in customer care, front office, cryptocurrency and teaching jobs but end up destitute and held in slavery or slavery-like conditions upon arrival only to find there are no such jobs.
“Some Kenyans have ended up destitute in Bangkok, sleeping on the streets and begging for food from strangers” added the statement.