Interstate human trafficking gang busted in Hyderabad, 4 held

The Special Operation Team (SOT) of the Rachakonda Police along with Medipally Police raided the office of a Tours and Travels company in Malakpet and arrested four persons in connection with alleged human trafficking on Monday.

The police seized visa documentation, 40-passports belonging to various persons, the net cash worth of Rs 6,000, and mobile phones from their possession.

After receiving information from reliable sources, the SOT arrested the accused persons identified as Shaik Mohammed Imthiyaz, Nune Subbamma, Gundugala Subba Rayudu, and Mohamed Haroon from AL-Hayath Tours and Travels office, police said in a statement.

Three more accused -- Sayeed, Naseer, and Sumaiya Fathima -- are still absconding.

The arrested persons were found indulging in illicit human trafficking by trying to send a woman, Shaik Khadar, to Muscat in a fraudulent manner on visiting visa instead of a working visa. Khadar was a resident of Medipally.

She was about to board her flight to Muscat on February 7, but on observing some abnormal behaviour of the accused persons she escaped from the airport instead of boarding the scheduled flight.

Mohammed, Subbamma, Rayudu, and Sayeed were working as agents on behalf of Emigration or manpower recruiting agencies like AL-Hayath Tours and Travels, police said.

Haroon is the office-in-charge of the travel company who has also been arrested by the police.

Subbamma had worked in Qatar and Muscat city of Oman as a home maid due to which she had well acquaintance with certain manpower recruiting agencies in places like Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Muscat.

The team used her contacts to send people to Gulf in a fraudulent manner on visiting visa instead of a working visa.

The accused persons run their offices at home cities like Hyderabad as well as overseas. They provide Arab Sheikh the required home maid services in the Gulf countries like Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

In search of jobs, women used to go to these places unknown about the real intentions of the employers and recruiters. They were exploited as slaves under inhuman conditions by their employers. Some employers are also alleged of exploiting women sexually.

Travel agents did not use to respond to the calls of victims until the contract period was completed.

Khadar was vigilant enough to understand the human trafficking racket which saved her life. Further efforts are being continued for the apprehension of absconding persons, police said.

( With inputs from ANI )