Police in Suriname have detained a 40-year-old Dutch man and a 37-year-old Cuban woman on suspicion of forcing women into prostitution in the South American country.

The pair were arrested on Saturday for human trafficking offences after three women reported them to the regional police division in Paramaribo, local news site Waterkant reported.

The women, who are all foreign nationals, claimed they had been offered jobs in the country as nightclub dancers.

But after arriving in Paramaribo, they claimed that they were forced to have sex with customers for payment and hand over the money to the alleged traffickers. The women have since returned to their countries of origin with support from the relevant embassy.

Police also raided a house in Rubenstraat where they were told women from other countries were being exploited as prostitutes. Three more women were found at the premises and taken to the police station for questioning.