GEORGE TOWN: Six women were among nine people charged with human trafficking at a Sessions Court here on Thursday (April 16).

All nine accused claimed trial to the charges which were read to them before Judge Salha Hamzah.

The women S. Leelavathy, 47; D. Dhanam, 35; S. Rajesvari, 35; B. Kavitah, 33; Sarmilah, 23; T. Kausalya, 21, and the men K. Kumaran, 39; P. Pumagam, 33; and E. Eswaran, 21, along with another person still at large, were charged on three counts of trafficking three women for sexual exploitation.

They were jointly charged under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking In Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act 2007, read together with Section 34 of Penal Code.

Counsels Dr Shamsher Singh Thind and J. Gunamalar represented all the accused, while deputy public prosecutor Farah Aimy Zainul Anwar prosecuted.

DPP Farah told the court that no bail should be offered to all the accused on the ground that there was a flight risk and the case involved human trafficking for sexual exploitation.

"There is a possibility of the accused disturbing the victims," she said.

Shamsher, however, argued that the charges did not prevent one from getting bail.

Judge Salha set bail at RM10,000 with one surety for each of the accused and asked them to surrender their passports to the court.

She also ordered for them to not go near the prosecution witnesses or the victims, before setting May 18 for case management.

It was reported prior to this that police rescued the victims after one of them escaped and lodged a report in January this year.

Police discovered the women had been tricked with job offers in Batu Maung.

However, they were then forced to offer sexual services in Penang, Johor Baru and Melaka. They were also sexually and physically assaulted while they were detained at a rented home in Batu Maung.