Mumtaz Ladha, the West Vancouver woman accused of human trafficking, was supposed to make a court appearance on Wednesday but she did not show up instead her lawyer attended the morning appearance in her place and the case was put over to Sept. 19.
WEST VANCOUVER – The South Asian woman accused of human trafficking was supposed to make a court appearance on Wednesday but she did not show up instead her lawyer attended the morning appearance in her place and the case was put over to Sept. 19.
Mumtaz Ladha, 55, is accused of bringing a 21-year-old African woman into Canada in 2008 under false pretenses and forcing her into domestic slavery.
Mounties say the young woman had her passport hidden away from her and was made to perform menial, unpaid labour 18 hours a day, seven days a week in Ladha’s home.
Investigators say she escaped the home in June 2009, one year after arriving, and made her way to a women’s shelter. The alleged victim has not spoken publicly.
Ladha faces human trafficking and human smuggling charges. Her case marks only the second time a human trafficking charge has been approved in B.C.
She was arrested last Month at the Vancouver International Airport while returning to Canada from Africa. She had been the target of a B.C.-wide arrest warrant since May.
Ladha — who had an outstanding warrant since May 12 — was arrested at Vancouver International Airport on July 19 after returning to Canada from Tanzania.
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