The Colombo High Court has sentenced a three-wheeler driver to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 10,000 for trafficking a young Uzbek woman to Sri Lanka under the guise of foreign employment and forcing her into prostitution.
The sentence was imposed by Colombo High Court Judge Lanka Jayaratne after the prosecution established the charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt.
The Attorney General had filed the case under Section 360A (1) of the Penal Code, alleging that the accused had procured the victim, identified as Oksana Karpova, for prostitution at a Colombo hotel.
According to the case, Karpova had travelled to Sri Lanka in late 2020 after receiving an attractive employment offer from a fellow Uzbek national known as ‘Jasmine’, who was residing in Sri Lanka. She had been promised a monthly salary of US$1,500 for employment, including a possible babysitting job.
She arrived in Sri Lanka on a visa and air ticket provided by Jasmine. However, upon arrival at Katunayake International Airport, she was picked up by Jasmine and her Sri Lankan husband, identified as ‘Lawrence’, a three-wheeler driver.
Instead of taking her to the promised employment, the couple allegedly took her to a house in Negombo, where she was forced into prostitution. She was subsequently taken to an apartment in Wellawatte, where her passport was confiscated and she was prevented from communicating with others.
Unable to endure the situation, Karpova managed to secretly contact her mother by telephone. Following a complaint made by her mother to the Uzbekistan Police, the Sri Lanka Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) launched an investigation and rescued the woman before placing her in a safe house.
During the trial, the accused denied the allegations. However, the prosecution presented scientific and circumstantial evidence, including bank records.
The court was informed that financial records showed that part of a payment made by a person who had obtained the victim's sexual services at a Colombo hotel was deposited into the accused's personal bank account.
Considering the evidence presented before court, Judge Lanka Jayaratne ruled that the prosecution had proved the charges beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced the accused to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.
