Saskatchewan RCMP have charged two people, after an investigation into human trafficking.
Earlier this year the Swift Current Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Team (STRT) began an investigation, and found a woman from Bangladesh in Canada on a visitors permit, being forced to work very long hours in several restaurants.
The woman answered an ad on a popular job bank, was brought to Saskatchewan from another province, and given a working permit.
According to investigators, the woman was forced to work 10 to 12 hours a day, seven days a week for several months at restaurants in Gull Lake, Tisdale, and Elrose. Police say when the woman wasn’t working she was forced to live in an unfinished concrete basement. Investigators say it was dimly lit and heavily water damaged.
Police say the her employers threatened to take away her working permit or call police if she didn’t accept the work she was told to do.
The STRT arrested two men in Tisdale and a third man in Elrose.
41-year-old Mohammad Masum from Tisdale and 52-year-old Sohel Haider from Elrose are facing one count of trafficking a person.
Masum was also charged with three counts, sexual assault, The third male was released without charge.
Masum and Haider will be in court in Rosetown July 13th.
