Another suspect arrested for trafficking women

Another sub-agent involved in trafficking women to Middle Eastern countries to be exploited there has been arrested by the Police.

The 45 year old suspect, a resident of Puwakpitiya, Awissawella was arrested from Colombo on Saturday,

The arrest came following complaints from women who had returned to the country, Police said.

The arrest came hours after a local travel agent involved in trafficking persons to Oman and several other countries was nabbed at the Bandaranaike International Airport.

The arrest was made by the immigration officers at the airport as the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment had obtained a court order by Negombo Magistrate courts.

The police said that the arrested suspect believed to be the main accused identified as Mohomad Rizvi had illegally trafficked women to Oman and other overseas countries in an illegal manner.

It was alleged that the suspect forged documents, posed as an official of the Ministry of Labor and Foreign Employment and visited the FEB frequently.

 Police said that the suspect had sent women abroad on visit visas and enrolled in work illegally. The suspect who was held at the airport police was handed over to the foreign employment Bureau on Saturday.

The suspect was remanded until November 24.

 They revealed that the man in custody was a main suspect who carried out a travel agency in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The suspect’s father too had a travel agency but due to irregularities in the agency it was shut down three month’s back by the Foreign Employment bureau.

Sources said that they believe that the suspect had started his illegal activity along with the closure of his father’s agency.