ID :
171847
Wed, 03/30/2011 - 11:25
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/171847
The shortlink copeid
Indian Police Investigate Politician Over People Smuggling Racket To Malaysia
NEW DELHI (Bernama) - An Indian politician, in cahoots with a
Malaysia-based Pakistani national, is under police investigation for allegedly
using a non-governmental agency (NGO) as a front to mastermind a series of human
trafficking cases to Malaysia.
The police in Kishanganj district, in India's eastern state of Bihar,
believe
they have cracked the racket after four Indian workers, allegedly held in
Malaysia as bonded labour, returned to their native village last Wednesday and
related their ordeal to local police.
"We encountered four males who returned to Kishanganj and we think there are
another four in Malaysia.
"According to the four, they were held as bonded labourers and worked in
a motorcycle assembly factory in the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur, and paid a meagre
RM50 to RM60 a month for their food.
"During investigations, we seized (an assortment of) documents and they
indicate it is a case of human trafficking. We have filed a case against the
local politician and are investigating the NGO operated by him," Kishanganj
Superintendent of Police Ranjit Kumar Mishra told Bernama in a telephone
interview recently.
An initial police probe revealed a well-knit inter-state racket was
operating from Bihar, Siliguri in West Bengal and Chennai -- the latter
frequently used by drug and human smugglers as a gateway to Malaysia.
This recent expose blipped just weeks after Malaysian senior diplomats
in Chennai warned that devious manpower recruitment agencies, spread across
India, were involved in forging Malaysian visas to send workers to Malaysia.
At least 95 cases of fake Malaysian visas were discovered in the last three
months, while dozens could have crossed to Malaysia without the knowledge of
authorities, Chennai-based Malaysian consul-general Anuar Kasman had told
Bernama early this month.
The Kishanganj episode could be just a minor leak in a bigger lucrative
human
trafficking trade or even a criminal operation, as police are still unearthing
evidence that could perhaps link to more heinous crime.
"We are investigating whether this is linked to other crimes in other
(Indian)
states or human trafficking is used as an alibi (for other activities)," added
Mishra.
Many young Indian men and women seeking greener pastures abroad continue to
fall victim to canny human smugglers, often disguised as genuine manpower hiring
agencies located in remote parts of India.
In late 2008, five women from India's impoverished north eastern states were
allegedly hired by a Singapore-based agency for jobs in the island, only to be
pressured to work in night clubs in Kuala Lumpur.
All the victims managed to escape from the clutches of their captors and
returned home safely.
International human smugglers had often used Malaysia as a strategic transit
point to despatch their victims, mostly economic migrants, to prosperous
neighbouring countries.
Malaysia-based Pakistani national, is under police investigation for allegedly
using a non-governmental agency (NGO) as a front to mastermind a series of human
trafficking cases to Malaysia.
The police in Kishanganj district, in India's eastern state of Bihar,
believe
they have cracked the racket after four Indian workers, allegedly held in
Malaysia as bonded labour, returned to their native village last Wednesday and
related their ordeal to local police.
"We encountered four males who returned to Kishanganj and we think there are
another four in Malaysia.
"According to the four, they were held as bonded labourers and worked in
a motorcycle assembly factory in the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur, and paid a meagre
RM50 to RM60 a month for their food.
"During investigations, we seized (an assortment of) documents and they
indicate it is a case of human trafficking. We have filed a case against the
local politician and are investigating the NGO operated by him," Kishanganj
Superintendent of Police Ranjit Kumar Mishra told Bernama in a telephone
interview recently.
An initial police probe revealed a well-knit inter-state racket was
operating from Bihar, Siliguri in West Bengal and Chennai -- the latter
frequently used by drug and human smugglers as a gateway to Malaysia.
This recent expose blipped just weeks after Malaysian senior diplomats
in Chennai warned that devious manpower recruitment agencies, spread across
India, were involved in forging Malaysian visas to send workers to Malaysia.
At least 95 cases of fake Malaysian visas were discovered in the last three
months, while dozens could have crossed to Malaysia without the knowledge of
authorities, Chennai-based Malaysian consul-general Anuar Kasman had told
Bernama early this month.
The Kishanganj episode could be just a minor leak in a bigger lucrative
human
trafficking trade or even a criminal operation, as police are still unearthing
evidence that could perhaps link to more heinous crime.
"We are investigating whether this is linked to other crimes in other
(Indian)
states or human trafficking is used as an alibi (for other activities)," added
Mishra.
Many young Indian men and women seeking greener pastures abroad continue to
fall victim to canny human smugglers, often disguised as genuine manpower hiring
agencies located in remote parts of India.
In late 2008, five women from India's impoverished north eastern states were
allegedly hired by a Singapore-based agency for jobs in the island, only to be
pressured to work in night clubs in Kuala Lumpur.
All the victims managed to escape from the clutches of their captors and
returned home safely.
International human smugglers had often used Malaysia as a strategic transit
point to despatch their victims, mostly economic migrants, to prosperous
neighbouring countries.
