Social apps are usually seen as a great waste of time. We spend hours on end going through tons of messages, photos and videos.
But, what we sometimes fail to remember is that these apps are powerful communication tools – with the ability to save lives.
How so? Here’s the most recent example.
A human trafficking prostitution ring involving a 27-year-old Bangladeshi security guard and other unknown persons was busted after one woman sent her brother a WhatsApp message.
The woman, who was identified as a Kyrgyz national, is one of two who were lured to Dubai after the security guard offered them jobs as domestic helpers, and forced into prostitution shortly after being picked up from the airport.
They were only able to escape after the police busted the ring thanks to the message one of the women was able to send to her brother in her home country, KhaleejTimes reported.
The case was reported to Al Barsha police on July 19, last year, but news of it was released to the public today.
The trial has been adjourned to February 7.
"I sent a WhatsApp message to my brother in my home country seeking help. He contacted the consulate here," the victim said.
According to reports, a police corporal told the public prosecution investigation that when they went to the flat the day the complaint was filed, they found a man and a woman at the door who told them they were working for the Kyrgyzstan consulate.
"The two consulate employees told us that they were contacted by relatives of two Kyrgyz women who had arrived in Dubai a few days earlier and were held up against their will in a flat and forced to work as prostitutes."
The corporal and other police officers then entered the apartment where they found the guard and the women. The flat was divided into partitions by curtains which suggested prostitution.