The beginning of the end has come for a suspected Filipino prostitution ring operating in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, authorities here said.

This follows the arrest of at least two female handlers in Abu Dhabi on the strength of complaints from their victims who sought help of Philippine diplomats.

Police confirmed the arrests, but declined to give any details. "If we have a complaint, we'll act on it right away," said a police officer in charge of the case who requested anonymity.

The officer added they would also get in touch with Interpol to stem the flow of prostitution victims from Manila.

At least five victims have executed affidavits of complaint after finding their way to the Philippine missions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The two female handlers arrested had been under the embassy's watch for sometime due to previous complaints by victims.

"Mary," one of the victims who landed in Dubai on July 20, escaped two days later from her two handlers in Abu Dhabi.

The victim escaped early morning on Thursday and wandered the streets of Abu Dhabi, crying. A Pakistani man who took pity on her gave her Dh20 for taxi money.

She later found her way to the Philippine embassy which was closed for the weekend. But a Filipino community leader took care of her for two days and turned her over to the mission on Saturday. An embassy staff later took Mary to Dubai.

The two handlers are just the tip of the iceberg as they may have ties with other gangs, according to an official.

The victims complained they had been enticed by a recruiter in Manila with promises of well-paying jobs as waitresses. They had also been charged up to 10,000 pesos as placement fees by the recruiter, based in Pasig City.

The victims also said they had been asked to execute an affidavit which in effect absolves both the Manila-based recruiters and their handlers of any responsibility over their fate here.