The Hawks serious organised crime investigation teams, assisted by the Tshwane K-9 unit, nabbed four alleged traffickers, including two fugitives in Sunnyside on Friday.

This was in a joint law enforcement operation after the teams had responded to information received from the human trafficking hotline about a 17-year-old minor, who reportedly left home in March 2021.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Philani Nkwalase said the 17-year-old was allegedly recruited from Hammanskaal by one of the suspects.

Nkwalase said the minor was kept against her will, forced into a life of drugs and subjected to acts of sexual exploitation.

“A search and rescue operation was conducted on Friday, at the apartment in Sunnyside following an in-depth investigation.

“The child was successfully rescued along with another 25-year-old victim and were taken to a place of safety.”

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Nkwalase said the men apprehended for alleged trafficking were between the ages of 19 and 40.

“Two of the four suspects arrested are fugitives who had been on the run since September 2019. They were linked to another case of alleged human trafficking, where nine suspects were arrested and their case is being heard in the Pretoria High Court.”

The Hawks provincial head in Gauteng, Major-General Ebrahim Kadwa, applauded the joint team for the arrests and reiterated the significance of forging a multi-disciplinary approach in the fight against crime.

“I urge the victims suffering in isolation and the members of the community that may witness this injustice, to use the available emergency numbers in their quest for intervention.”

All four suspects are expected to appear in the Pretoria magistrate’s curt on January 3 on charges of contravening the trafficking in persons act for the purpose of sexual exploitation.