A Saskatoon judge has found two men guilty of human trafficking. In a decision Friday, Mohammad Masum and Sohel Haider were found guilty of human trafficking a Bangladeshi woman to work in restaurants in Gull Lake, Tisdale and Elrose over the course of five months. Masum was also found guilty of three counts of sexual assault. The offences were committed between Aug. 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023. The woman cannot be named due to a publication ban. Both men have been taken into custody while they await a sentencing hearing. Masum and Haider were charged in June 2023 after several individuals provided statements to RCMP, outlining the victim’s situation. The court also heard the woman’s employers withheld her immigration paperwork and threatened to revoke her work permit or call the police if she did not follow their demanding work schedule and restrictions to her freedom. The trial began in September 2024 in Rosetown and consisted of seven weeks of hearings spread over an extended period ending on Nov. 24, 2025, with proceedings being slowed by the continuous translation from English to Bengali. More details to come...
