Calgary Police have arrested two men in connection with forcing a pair of teenage girls into the sex trade.
Avni Gashi and Aranjit ‘Nick’ Siminica were arrested on Friday after two teenage girls, aged 15 and 17, say the two men forced them to have sex for money dozens of times over two days last November.
They are charged with:
- two counts of procure a person to become a prostitute
- live on the avails of a prostitute under the age of 18
- trafficking in persons
- receive material benefit from trafficking in persons
- two counts of forcible confinement
- assault/common assault
- possession of locally stolen property over $5,000
Police say that they’ve never seen a crime like this in Calgary.
“Trafficking of a minor was amended in the Criminal Code in 2010, so this is the first time Calgary Police Service has laid this charge and it carries a minimum mandatory of five years imprisonment,” says Staff Sergeant Rick Rutledge with the CPS.
Police say the two men met the girls and lavished them with gifts and treated them well.
That soon changed and the girls were coerced, even threatened, into sex for money at two north Calgary hotels.
The 17-year-old managed to get away and reported her story to police.
“At some point, they say ‘you owe me, you owe me for all the things I’ve purchased for you and if you don’t have a job, well how about you work as a stripper, how about you work as a prostitute?’” said Rutledge.
According to police, Siminica also allegedly assaulted one of the girls and Gashi breached one of his bail conditions for an unrelated assault case against another woman.
They will both appear in court on Friday.
Police have concerns that there may be more victims involved in the case and they ask anyone with information to contact them immediately.
