NBI Dagupan rescues 2 trafficked women in Urdaneta City bar
TWO victims of sex trafficking were rescued in Urdaneta City by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Dagupan District Office, in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The case was referred to NBI-Dagupan by a non-profit organization that was approached by the victims’ concerned relatives seeking urgent assistance. The victims themselves managed to send messages to their families, pleading for help.
According to the families, the two women were allegedly being held and exploited by a trafficking syndicate operating in northern and central Luzon.
Investigation revealed that the victims, along with at least 12 other women, were initially recruited to work as waitresses in Mahogany KTV bar in Agoo, La Union. However, they were allegedly coerced into working as female entertainers and pressured to offer sexual services to male customers.
The women were reportedly transferred from one establishment to another, including the 178 KTV Bar in Urdaneta City, and were threatened with violence — including being shot — if they attempted to escape.
Acting swiftly, agents from the NBI Dagupan District Office (NBI-DADO), accompanied by DSWD personnel and family members, proceeded to the KTV bar and successfully rescued the victims.
The victims confirmed the earlier reports received by NBI that they were recruited online with promises of a ₱20,000 monthly salary. They were also forced to sign documents falsely claiming they owed money to the KTV bar and could not leave until the “debt” was paid. (Ahikam Pasion)
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