Human trafficking racket busted; three persons, who worked as recruiting agents, arrested

Greater Chennai Police busts human trafficking racket luring women with fake job offers, arrests three agents involved in the network.

The Greater Chennai Police (GCP) busted a trafficking racket where women were lured with the prospect of jobs abroad and then forced them into the sex trade. The police arrested three persons, including a woman, who had acted as agents and supplied women to the vast network, which is believed to be operating from abroad.

The police said the gang targeted poor women in the city and the other districts of Tamilnadu who were seeking jobs. They lured them by circulating advertisements offering jobs in foreign hotels for roles such as sales representative, event coordinators, and other related positions in the hospitality sector. A senior officer said the accused made the victims sign a contract, and later, sent them abroad, particularly to West Asia. The women were forced to do commercial sex work instead of the jobs they were offered earlier.

One of the victims lodged a complaint with the GCP. Following the receipt of the complaint, the City Police Commissioner Sandeep Rai Rathore ordered a thorough investigation into the complaint. Based on the complaint, the Immoral Traffic Prevention Unit conducted an investigation and analysed the call records of the accused whose names were mentioned in the complaint. Subsequently, the police arrested three persons who acted as agents of the gang abroad, which was operating the human trafficking network.

The arrested were identified as M. Prakash Raj, 24, of Madipakkam, K. Jayakumar, 40, of Ilanji, Tenkasi district, and Aafia, 24, of Thoraipakkam. The police said at least seven women were in the custody of the suspects who were abroad.

Three mobile phones, advertisement pamphlets for foreign jobs, and loan and contract documents obtained from the women were seized from them. The police also said steps were being taken to arrest the four main suspects who were abroad and in hiding.

The arrested were produced before a court and remanded.