DUSHANBE, April 23, 214, Asia-Plus – The Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district prosecutor’s office has launched criminal proceedings into disappearance of Dushanbe cousins Malika Aralova and Sabina Aralova under the provisions of Article 130 of Tajikistan’s Penal Code – abduction.

Lieutenant-Colonel Jumakhon Karimov, deputy chief of the department for combating human trafficking, Interior Ministry’s Organized Crime Control Directorate (UBOP) announced this at the training, Investigative Journalism in Terms of Criminal Justice, in Dushanbe on April 23.

According to him, the criminal proceedings were instituted on April 10.   

We will recall that cousins Malika, 6, and Sabina, 4 were last seen on March 25 when they went outside to play in Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district not far from the Sabdarg Center.

Karimov also noted that the Tajik law enforcement authorities were taking necessary measures to prevent trafficking of women to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey Afghanistan, Russia and other countries.

“Transnational organized crime groups are involved in such crimes,” said Karimov.  “Over the first three months of 2012, the Ministry of Interior revealed 15 cases of trafficking of women for prostitution.  In seven cases, they attempted to traffic women to the UAE.”

Over the first quarter of this year alone, Tajik law enforcement authorities have revealed 254 crimes related to trafficking in persons, Karimov added.