Take action against illegal agents trafficking people abroad: Sushma

New Delhi: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday ordered her ministry officials to take action against a man who allegedly trafficked a woman from Punjab to the Gulf in a case of suspected human trafficking. The plight of the woman from Amritsar, identified as Simranjeet Kaur, came to light after another woman approached the minister on social media for help.

In a series of tweets, Ms. Swaraj said, “Here is a serious case of human trafficking from Punjab. One Simranjeet Kaur from Amritsar has been trafficked by an agent to Dubai/Oman.” She told her ministry officials, “Please take stringent action that should set an example for all such agents. This seems to be a serious case of human trafficking. Please make efforts to trace Simran and ensure her safety and well being in Oman. Please find out details of the agent and proceed against him.”

The woman who complained to Ms. Swaraj said, “@SushmaSwaraj mam pls see these details. She is sister of my friend. An agent took money from her for Singapore visa and left her in Dubai. She is at terminal 2 of Dubai airport. She doesn’t have a phone. Her name is Simran. Please help! ... And it seems the agent is illegal because the family is trying to reach him and he is not responding.”

The Consulate General of India (CGI) in Dubai tweeted, “Simran has cleared Dubai immigration.  According to immigration her return ticket is booked from Oman.  Please try to get details from the Indian agent and inform us details of who was supposed to receive her in Dubai.” Indian diplomats said they were trying to confirm if Simran had entered Oman, adding that they were making “all out efforts to trace her in Oman if she has”.

The CGI in Dubai further said, “Agent not responding on the phone numbers, as is the usual practice followed by such agents.  We have sent our representative to the agent’s address personally.  We shall update as soon as possible.”

The MEA’s “Protector General of Emigrants” had spoken last year about the eMigrate Project to enable to track the whereabouts of the Indian worker, his foreign employer and the recruiting agent once the workers are registered online.