Indian police has busted an international human trafficking racket spread across India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Dubai, Kuwait and Oman. They rescued 26 women including 10 Indian, 16 Nepalese and arrested 2 people. All rescued women were adults, most of them were married, belonging to very poor backgrounds. They were brought on allurement of providing jobs in Gulf countries.

The accused, Shabin Shah and his associate Bidya Lama were arrested from Roopnagar and Patiala House Court respectively. Bidya lama from Bengal who ran shelter home in Mahipalpur and kept women in confinement, was also arrested.

The kingpin and prime accused Shabin Shah a resident of Roopnagar, Delhi, is also a Nepali citizen, his associate is an Indian woman named Bidya Lama from West Bengal who used a shelter house for confinement of victims has also been arrested. 2 victim passports, 6 mobile phones a boarding ticket were recovered from the accused.

Mastermind caught

It emerged that Shah was the mastermind of the racket that was running since 2011 and he had rented properties in Mahipalpur and Roopnagar where women were kept in confinement. Delhi was the hub as well as the transit point from where girls were sold and trafficked to Gulf countries, he said. He claimed he has a number of agents who are in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Oman, Kuwait, Dubai and India.  

The interested women are asked to prepare their passports and arrange money for expenditure incurred over the journey and employment. After crossing India-Nepal border, these women got shelter in the accused's rented premises in Mahipalpur and Roopnagar area. Bidya Lama looked after them and kept the women in confinement.

The agents based in Gulf countries arranged jobs and employment visas for these women and then charged commission after these women got employment. The charged commission is further distributed to their Delhi based agents. There is a complete chain and understanding between agents based in Nepal, Delhi, Sri Lanka and Gulf countries.

Bidya Lama in Kuwait

Bidya Lama initially worked as a maid in Kuwait for three years but when she returned to India she helped Shabin Shah confine women instead of and received a commission of Rs 15,000.

The racket used to target married, illiterate and poor women of Nepal and northeast India, said the officer adding that the agents based in Nepal used to lure the women on the pretext of providing jobs abroad.

(India Today)