Italian Man Jailed and Caned After Luring Woman to Dubai for Sex Work

A 32-year-old Italian citizen who tricked a Singaporean woman into travelling overseas with false promises of marriage before forcing her into sex work in Dubai was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment, six strokes of the cane, and a fine of 9,000 dollars on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. Achraf Arjaouy was convicted of a human trafficking charge in April 2026 following a court trial. The court ordered that Achraf will serve an additional six weeks in prison if he fails to pay the court-ordered fine.

The court heard that Achraf arrived in Singapore in March 2021 and matched with the victim, identified in court documents as V1, on a dating application in April 2021. During a rapid courtship, Achraf lied about his background, claiming to be a pilot for Qatar Airways and falsely asserting that he came from a wealthy Qatari family. He proposed to V1, stating that he intended to marry her in Qatar. Overjoyed by the prospect, V1 agreed to travel with him to Dubai as a stopover en route to Qatar. Prosecutors revealed that Achraf never intended to marry V1 or take her to Qatar, and used the threat of ending their relationship if she refused to travel with him to the United Arab Emirates. V1 agreed to abandon her life in Singapore, and the couple flew to the UAE on April 21, 2021.

Upon arriving in Dubai, Achraf falsely informed V1 that she was required to show 10,000 US dollars (equivalent to approximately 12,800 Singapore dollars) as proof of funds to gain entry into Qatar. Knowing that V1 lacked the necessary funds, Achraf pestered her into providing commercial sexual services to raise the money. After she succumbed to his pressure, Achraf took intimate photographs of her, set up online escort profiles across multiple websites in Dubai, solicited clients on her behalf, and arranged hotel bookings where she delivered sexual services. Achraf collected all of her daily earnings throughout the period of exploitation.

The victim ceased engaging in prostitution in September 2021 after contracting a sexually transmitted disease. Two months later, in November 2021, she returned to Singapore. In addition to his conviction for human trafficking, Achraf currently faces 16 other pending charges, including multiple counts of cheating, which will be dealt with in separate court proceedings at a later date.

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