Lankan travel agent arrested trying to ‘traffic’ three Bhutan women to Iraq

A Sri Lankan travel agent was arrested by Indian Police on Wednesday for allegedly trying to fly to Sri Lanka with three Bhutanese women. The women told cops that the accused had promised them high paying jobs in a men’s spa in Iraq. Cops suspect he may have intended to force the women into the sex trade, the Times of India reported.

Sahar police caught Mohiuddin Fayaz (41) from Mumbai international airport after immigration officials got suspicious and checked his papers to find that he was “trafficking” the women using fake Indian passports.

The victims had paid Rs 6,000 each for the supposed jobs. Mumbai cops have provided for their food and accommodation and informed the Bhutan embassy in India so that the women can fly back to their homes.

When the three women, aged between 20 and 21, were brought to the police station, they got frightened on seeing the cops. However, the cops reassured them that they would not be charged but made witnesses in the case. “Today we have learned from our mistake and the cops are helping us return to our country. They have also provided us a room, food and given us a mobile phone to communicate with our families,” one of the victims told TOI.

The Mumbai Police are investigating how many women have been similarly trafficked by the accused in the past. The accused got the women to Mumbai and was to fly to Sri Lanka en route to Iraq.