South Asian Woman Accused Of Smuggling An African Maid And Keeping Her A Slave Arrested

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Ismaili-Canadian Mumtaz Ladha who allegedly brought a young African woman into Canada under false pretenses and forced her into domestic slavery was arrested and released. Among other things, she is accused of taking away her accuser’s passport once she landed in Canada. Police say Ladha forced the timid looking woman into demeaning servitude, which included hand-washing the underwear of everyone in the house, hand-washing the cars of guests, and eating table scraps to survive. She was only allowed to sleep once everyone else in the house had gone to bed. The maid eventually escaped to a woman’s shelter in June 2009, where she received immediate assistance and the RCMP were notified.

WEST VANCOUVER – A South Asian woman from West Vancouver, who allegedly brought a young African woman into Canada under false pretenses and forced her into domestic slavery, was arrested without incident at the Vancouver International Airport on July 19 while returning to Canada from Africa.

Among other things, Mumtaz Ladha is accused of taking away her accuser’s passport once she landed in Canada.

Police say Ladha, 55, forced the timid looking woman into demeaning servitude, which included hand-washing the underwear of everyone in the house, hand-washing the cars of guests, and eating table scraps to survive. She was only allowed to sleep once everyone else in the house had gone to bed.

The maid eventually escaped to a woman’s shelter in June 2009, where she received immediate assistance and the RCMP were notified.

Ladha has been charged with human trafficking and human smuggling and released from custody on a promise to appear in court on Aug. 10.

The RCMP issued a B.C.-wide warrant for Ladha in mid-May after investigating allegations she had lured a 21-year-old woman into the country in 2008 with the promise of a work visa and a job in a hair salon, reported CTV.

Investigators say the young woman was instead kept in Ladha’s home and forced to perform menial, unpaid labour 18 hours a day, seven days a week.

Police say the woman had her passport hidden away from her, and for months believed she had no recourse. In June 2009, one year after arriving, the woman escaped to women’s shelter.

The home where she was kept is a three-storey mansion with an indoor pool and outdoor basketball court valued at $3.1 million, according to a 2011 BC Assessment report.

The charges against Ladha mark only the second time a human trafficking charge has been approved in B.C. The smuggling charge alone can carry a fine of up to $500,000 and 10 years in prison for a first offence.

The alleged victim has not spoken publicly and none of the allegations have been proven in court.

Elizabeth Empetin, Ladha’s Filipino live-in caregiver, told the Vancouver Sun she has worked for the family since November of last year, but the Ladhas have not lived in the house during that time and she had not heard from either Mumtaz Ladha or her husband for several months.

Empetin, who said she had no knowledge of the 21-year-old and her alleged mistreatment, told the Sun she has been treated well and receives her salary on time.

An RCMP spokesman close to the investigation into Ladha said in May she was respected member of the community and had no previous criminal record.

Ladha was released following her arrest on a promise to appear in court Aug. 10.

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