Jagraon woman escapes from clutches of traffickers in Oman
The victim, however, managed to escape from her office and reached the Indian embassy. After she narrated her story to the embassy officials, they made arrangements to send her home. After reaching here, she lodged an FIR against the travel agent
Expecting a bright future and a handsome income, a woman went to Dubai for employment, but her dreams were shattered when she found herself in the clutches of a human trafficking gang. A woman travel agent, who was a member of the gang, forced her to work as a domestic help in the house of an Arab family or give her ₹2.15 lakh for her release. The woman travel agent had held her captive for 15 days.
The victim, however, managed to escape from her office and reached the Indian embassy. After she narrated her story to the embassy officials, they made arrangements to send her home. After reaching here, she lodged an FIR against the travel agent.
The accused have been identified as Vicky Singh of Raikot, Krishan Lal of Dubai and the Oman woman, who held the victim captive in her office.
The victim, who is a resident of Dholan village, stated that her husband is a labourer. For a bright future and better earning, she decided to work in Dubai. Vicky Singh had promised to send her to Dubai on a work permit. She had taken a flight from the Amritsar airport to reach Dubai, where she had met Lal, an aide of Vicky Singh. Lal had sent her to Oman to work as a domestic help in the house of an Arab family.
The woman added that the family has five children. Apart from cleaning the house and taking care of five children, she was asked to cook for the family. She found it tiring and refused to continue following which Lal sent her to the office of a woman travel agent in Oman.
She alleged that the woman travel agent held her captive in her office. She forced her to work in the house of the Arab family or give her ₹2.15 lakh for her release.
“The travel agent hardly gave me food. I asked my husband to arrange money for my release, who could arrange only ₹1 lakh. The woman travel agent refused to release me,” said the victim.
“I managed to escape from her office and reached the Indian embassy in Oman with the help of locals. I narrated the entire incident to the officials, who made arrangements for me in a gurdwara. With their help, I reached home on May 9 and filed a complaint against the accused,” she added.
Sub-inspector Jugraj Singh, who is investigating the case, said that an FIR under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 370 (buying or disposing of any person as a slave), 120-B of IPC and Section 33 of the Punjab Travel Professional Act has been registered. A hunt is on for their arrest.
He added that it is suspected that the accused are members of a human trafficking gang.
