The Main Department for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has arrested 49-year-old Rima Gulaliyeva on charges of human trafficking.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports, citing the ministry, that Gulaliyeva is accused of committing human trafficking crimes by subjecting Azerbaijani women, whose identities are being kept confidential, to sexual exploitation in a foreign country.
According to the investigation, Gulaliyeva entered into a criminal conspiracy with members of a transnational organized group consisting of foreign citizens. She allegedly deceived the victims and transported them across the state border. Once abroad, the victims were kept under control through threats and coercion; their passports were seized, and they were subjected to sexual exploitation for profit.
The investigation further revealed that Gulaliyeva sold the women to male citizens of a foreign state for sums ranging between $6,000 and $8,000 under the pretext of marriage. Following these transactions, she reportedly instructed the women to steal gold jewelry and other valuables given to them as wedding gifts and flee the premises.
Based on the collected evidence, Rima Gulaliyeva has been brought into the investigation as an accused person, and a court-ordered measure of restraint in the form of arrest has been implemented. Measures are currently ongoing to identify other members of the transnational organized criminal group. In Azerbaijan, human trafficking is a serious felony, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs continues to strengthen its domestic and international cooperation to dismantle such networks. Citizens who have fallen victim to such crimes are encouraged to contact the MIA Main Department for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings or the 152 hotline, with full confidentiality guaranteed.
