Police in Ontario say they have found three missing Quebec girls and arrested and charged a 23-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy with human trafficking-related offences.
York Regional Police said they received information on Jan. 27 that three missing girls from Quebec were believed to be in York Region. There were concerns girls were being sexually exploited, police said.
“Within hours, investigators identified and attended a Richmond Hill residence where the females were believed to be,” police said in a Jan. 30 news release.
Police said two of the girls were seen leaving the home with a man in a vehicle. The vehicle was stopped and the man was taken into custody.
Police said they entered the home looking for the third girl and after finding her arrested the teenage boy.
Police believe there may be more victims and have released the man’s photo, asking anyone with information to come forward.
Shaikh Sabahat of Toronto and a teenage boy have both been charged with three counts of exercising control, direction or influence to someone under 18 years of age, being householders allowing sexual activity, and failing to comply with an undertaking.
Canada has seen a 396 percent increase in the number of reported human trafficking cases, according to a 2024 report by Statistics Canada.
The majority of reported human trafficking cases in Canada involve women or girls (93 percent) and 23 percent of victims are under the age of 18.
Their efforts led to the arrest of more than 3,000 suspects and “the safeguarding of more than 4,400 potential victims of human trafficking,” RCMP said.
