The Bahraini hotel investor was arrested along with six suspected prostitutes in
a police raid.
Three other men who worked at the hotel, all described as Arabs, are now on the
run and are wanted for questioning over their involvement in running the
prostitution racket, Manama chief public prosecutor Wael Buallai said.
Police raided the hotel, located on Exhibition Avenue, after an officer posed
as a customer and was allegedly offered sex for money by one of the employees
who fled.
"The agent met with an employee at the hotel and was offered prostitutes after
agreeing on the price," said Mr Buallai.
He said the officer was then guided to a hotel room by another employee, where
he waited for two women to arrive.
Police raided the hotel when the prostitutes arrived in the room and arrested
the two women, said Mr Buallai.
During questioning, they admitted to working as prostitutes and led police to
four more prostitutes at the hotel - including the underaged girl.
All of them confessed to working in the sex industry for the hotel investor,
said Mr Buallai.
"They also claimed that they had been making their living through
prostitution," he added.
He also said the underaged girl claimed that she was forced into working as a
prostitute by the investor.
"She said she had only come to Bahrain to work as a dancer and was related to
one of the prostitutes," said Mr Buallai.
The investor was later arrested and charged with running a prostitution den,
making money through prostitution and helping run a prostitution racket.
He has also been charged with corrupting a juvenile and sexually assaulting her
with the agreement of others.
It is also thought that the investor, who cannot be named for legal reasons,
was operating several other prostitution dens in Bahrain.
The juvenile has been referred to a medical examiner to investigate who has
assaulted her, added Mr Buallai.
"She will then be transferred to the juvenile court," he said.
The three employees now on the run are accused of guiding customers to the
prostitutes, while the five women have been detained on charges of
prostitution.
The restaurant has been shut down while investigations continue.
