A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Punjab police has arrested eight 'agents' and registered 18 First Information Reports (FIRs) so far in cases relating to women from Punjab being ‘trafficked’ to Oman and other Gulf countries on the pretext of being employed as domestic helps.
Of the 18 FIRs registered, five were filed in Ferozepur, four in Hoshiarpur, two each in Ludhiana (rural), Tarn Taran and Jalandhar (rural) and one each in Moga, Bhatinda and Nawanshahr, SIT chief Randhir Kumar told The Quint.
On 2 May, The Quint reported that several women from Punjab were allegedly deceived into taking up jobs as domestic helps and sent to Oman via Dubai through illegal channels. These women underwent testing circumstances with their passports being confiscated, being locked up for days without food, and being forced to work for long hours without pay.
Women who had been rescued and brought back to India had narrated horror stories of exploitation and abuse to The Quint a month ago.
The Quint speaks to Punjab police on the action taken in these cases so far; measures being taken to rescue those who are still stranded in Oman; and steps to rehabilitate those who have somehow made it back home.
But First, How Did This Racket Surface?
“On 30 April, we received information that at least 40 women were stuck at a gurudwara in Oman. We wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs on 1 May and sent a team to Muscat on 4 May. The women were in a dire state, and their mental health was quite bad. We gave them ration, medicines and sanitary pads,” Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, told The Quint.
He explained that the women were taken through two routes – either using a visit visa, which is applicable for 30 days or the employment visa, which binds them contractually for two years. After the women land in Dubai, they are then taken illegally to Muscat via Al Ain situated at the border of Oman and UAE with the help of touts.
“So far, 24 women, all from Punjab, have been rescued from Oman in the last 1.5 months, while at least 13 women who are currently stranded there and had taken shelter in a local gurudwara are at various stages in the process of repatriation,” said Sahney.
One of the women that The Quint had spoken to earlier had alleged that she was “sold off” and raped repeatedly by her employers. She had said:
“They kicked me in the belly, beat me up brutally, and forced me to take off my clothes in front of the camera to record inappropriate videos of me. They locked me up, did not give me food and forced me to sign on some documents. They used to sexually harass me regularly."
"When the Punjab police called and pulled up Arman, he left Swaranjit and 14 other women -- all survivors of alleged sexual exploitation -- at a shelter home of the Indian Embassy," Kuldeep Singh, husband of another woman had alleged.
Action Taken So Far:
Taking cognisance of the rising number of women being trafficked to Oman, the Punjab Bureau of Investigation had on 28 May constituted an SIT to investigate cases of human trafficking in the state.
IPS officer Randhir Kumar, who is heading the SIT, told The Quint that of the 24 women who were rescued from Oman, 18 have registered FIRs, while the others have chosen not to.
“Most of the women were offered a job of a domestic help except for one woman who went to Oman as a beautician. Eight agents/sub-agents – all belonging to Punjab – have been arrested so far. Of these, seven are women," he said.
Look Out Circulars (LOCs) have also been issued against agents who do not belong to India or those who might try to flee the country, Kumar added.
He said the FIR has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 420 (criminal conspiracy) and 370 (trafficking of persons), as well as section 13 of the Punjab Travel Professionals (Regulation) Act.
Kumar also said that the police are probing the angle of transactions being made on the "dark net" and that the police “is not ruling out the use of cryptocurrency” in these cases.
Talking to The Quint Punjab Bureau of Investigation chief ADGP Lakshmee Kant Yadav said, “The network of unscrupulous agents in Punjab operates like well-lubricated machinery. This issue needs focused attention, and investigation from different angles to understand how deep the tentacles of this this racket go.”
How Do These Agents Operate?
ADGP Yadav said that unauthorised agents have sprouted in remote parts of Punjab. Meanwhile, sub-agents, who end up being distant relatives who are aware of the living conditions of the women lure them, and target their vulnerabilities. Most of the women are uneducated, come from poor households, and are the sole earning members of their families.
“There’s a general tendency here to look abroad for well-paying jobs. As a result, a lot of training centres, such as those that train prospective emigrants for qualifying exams such as the IELTS and TOEFL, have started doubling up as agents. But they don’t have any checks and balances in place,” Sahney added.
Once the women reach Oman, the reality is harsh. They are often not paid, exploited for work, face abuse and torture at the hands of their employers. They are beaten up, and often they run away from their workplaces.
“These women cannot travel back to their home towns in Punjab till their penalties of overstay (in case of visit visa) are paid to Oman courts or the employment bonds are released by the sponsors upon payments,” Sahney said.
Most of these women have heavy fines on them on account of violation of visit visa norms and in case of work visas, their employers will not give a No Objection Certificate (NOC) till they receive the demanded compensation which is to the tune of 1,000-1,200 Omani Riyal or Rs 2.5 lakh. As a result, the women are stranded.
Lack Of Awareness
ADGP LK Yadav asserted that an on-ground sensitisation campaign is crucial and awareness needs to be spread. He said that Inspector General, Ludhiana Range, Kaustabh Sharma has been appointed as the nodal officer for hassle-free registration of FIRs in human trafficking cases in Punjab.
“Those who choose to go abroad should go through registered agents only and ask them about working conditions and contract beforehand. We have also reached out to the Protector General of Emigrants to help spread awareness and check the documents before going ahead with them,” SIT chief Randhir Kumar said.
Meanwhile, Sahney has given a list of 143 agents who are operating illegally to the Punjab Chief Minister.
“As for those who are still stranded, we are taking quick action – encouraging victims to file official complaints, issuing warrants for agents in Punjab and LOCs for those who operate from outside India, and demanding their extradition. We also promptly notify the Ministry of External Affairs once we receive any calls for help,” IG Kaustabh Sharma told The Quint.
What Next?
At least 24 women have been rescued so far under Mission Hope, which was launched by MP Sahney, who is also the Chairman of Sun Foundation, a charitable institution spearheading the rescue efforts.
“The women who have returned are being counselled. Those who have filed FIRs are being reassured of support so that they do not withdraw their statements under pressure. Those who haven’t filed FIRs – maybe because of pressure from the agents, society, trauma or because they have come to an understanding with the sub-agents – are being encouraged to file official complaints,” CEO of Sun Foundation Gurbir Singh Sandhu told The Quint.
Sandhu said that under Mission Hope, the repatriated women are receiving skill-training so that they can earn a living in Punjab.
“But it is a vicious cycle. For every 10 women we rescue from the shelter home, six reach Oman the same week. We have a long-drawn process ahead of us,” Sahney said.
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