Indians confined 19 Filipinas women employees in Dubai villa

November 7, 2013

Dubai, Nov 7: Three Indians have been accused of confining 19 Filipinas hotel workers inside a villa for over a month, not allowing them to go out even during their free time or holidays.

The three men - 41-year-old electrician SS, 61-year-old supervisor KM and 54-year-old cook KA - who were identified with their initials only, were said to have unlawfully locked up the Filipinas from sunset to sunrise daily in the employees' residence in Al Mutainah.

The trio claimed it was only to protect the women from sexual harassment in the area, the Dubai Court of First Instance heard on Tuesday. The men, who are out on bail, pleaded not guilty and firmly denied their accusations, Gulf News reported.

Prosecution records said the 19 Filipinas worked for the hotel as receptionists, housekeepers, cleaners and maids, the report said. As soon as the women finished work, the trio would lock them inside the villa and keep them confined until the next morning, according to prosecution records.

The women said a bus would collect them at 7 am and bring them back at 8 pm when their shift was over. Prosecutors accused SS, KM and KA of breaching the Filipinas' rights and freedom by locking them up unlawfully for a period of one month.

The trio's lawyer asked the presiding judge to adjourn the case to present his defence when the court reconvenes on November 24. One of the housekeepers, 30-year-old MN, testified that she had been working for the hotel in Al Muraqqabat for two years.

"I was hired on a 600 dirhams salary. Since I started work, the senior workers told me that it was against the hotel's policy to go out of the residence during free time or after work or on holidays. As soon as we returned to the residence, the defendants would lock the doors and prevent us from going out," MN claimed to prosecutors.

"We were forced to agree because we had no other choice and we were forced also to be obedient to earn a living even during officials holidays we remained confined. During the confinement period, nobody treated us badly," she said.

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Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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