Trafficking trail: Month on, 14 agents held, none from outside Punjab

Trafficking trail: Month on, 14 agents held, none from outside Punjab

Jalandhar: Over a month after a special investigation team (SIT) was formed in Punjab (on May 26) to probe illegal trafficking cases of women sent to Oman, as many as 22 FIRs have been registered and 14 arrests made across the state. Lookout circulars have also been issued against seven accused. However, none of the agents from outside of Punjab booked by the police has been arrested yet.

Of the 14 agents arrested, 11 are women and three men. Of the total FIRs, highest six have been registered in Jalandhar district (all rural), followed by Ferozepur (five); Hoshiarpur (four); Ludhiana rural and Tarn Taran (two each); and Bathinda, SBS Nagar and Moga (1 each).

Of the 14 accused, most have been arrested in Jalandhar rural (five), followed by Bathinda (three); Ferozepur and Tarn Taran (two each) and Moga and Ludhiana rural (one each).

As per the SIT probe findings, the modus operandi of the gangs involved targeting and coercing women from economically weaker sections with the promise of providing them with good jobs in Dubai. However, the victims ended up in Oman.

The probe has found out the women from economically weaker sections were promised work visas, but sent on tourist visas. Instead of offering high-paying jobs with good working conditions as promised, the victims were given low/no wage jobs with poor working conditions (involving long working hours and tiring domestic work) in Oman.

Once stuck in the Gulf, those wishing to return were asked to pay up huge and disproportionate sums of money for journey back to India if they were not happy with the working conditions.

On the pretext of recovering money spent on them, they were engaged in bonded labour or modern slavery. The probe has also found out sub-agents were getting commissions for referring victims to travel agents.

However, the probe regarding agents from other states such as Hyderabad, Kerala, Delhi or Bhubaneswar and even in the UAE is yet to make headway.

IG Kaustubh Sharma said: “All 14 persons booked are mostly sub-agents. In some cases, they are involved in the process of sending victims abroad and have moved to other states or gone abroad. As for agents from other states, our teams had carried out raids to nab a Hyderabad agent, Abdullah, and another Delhi agent, who has now moved to Bhubaneswar. Another accused has also been traced to Bhubaneswar and is a registered agent there. The Hyderabad agent has moved to the UAE. We are verifying further information and antecedents of these agents to tighten the net.”