Kathmandu, September 25

The Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police has arrested a person who lured several unemployed youths with the promise of lucrative jobs in Europe and left them in the lurch.

Bur Bahadur Adai, 37, of Dhirpatan Munuicipality-7 and currently residing in Tokha of Kathmandu had trafficked the youths to Turkey in the guise of foreign employment. CIB said Adai previously convinced the youths that he would take them to Greece for job, but were taken to Turkey where the victims were meted out physical and mental torture for 45 days.

“Finally, the victims managed to escape the clutches of traffickers and returned home. We arrested Adai yesterday acting on a complaint lodged by them at CIB,” the supreme investigating agency of Nepal Police said.

Only two victims, who arrived home, have failed a case. Adai had collected Rs 1.2 million each from the victims. Kathmandu District Court has remanded him to seven-day judicial custody for further investigation.

According to a report of CIB, the web of trafficking for worst forms of slavery and sexual exploitation has gradually spread to African, European and Latin American countries. Manpower and travel agents traffick the victims to UEA and other countries on tourist visa with the assurance of a lucrative job there. No foreign citizen is allowed to hold any job in foreign countries without obtaining work permit and thus the victims are deemed to be illegal and face legal action.

CIB warned that many unemployed youths, women and girls were being trafficked out of the country under the cloak of foreign employment, marriage and abroad study. Bearing this in mind, it has launched crackdown on the suspects.

Human traffickers have been capitalising on lack of employment opportunity, low education level and poverty to lure the victims, it said. Key agents of trafficking comprise a range of individuals as well as agencies, including recruiting firms, education consultancies, marriage bureaus and cultural groups, among others

Bearing this in mind, a separate Human Trafficking and Transportation Control Bureau has been established under Nepal Police.