PATNA: Bihar Police have uncovered an alleged international human trafficking network operating in Kishanganj and the surrounding Seemanchal region, where unemployed youths were lured with promises of overseas jobs and smuggled into foreign countries through the illegal “donkey route.”
The investigation has also revealed the alleged involvement of a Pakistani agent based in Malaysia, who reportedly confined victims and forced them into bonded labour.
Acting on the instructions of Kishanganj Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar, a special police team, supported by the Special Task Force (STF), arrested the alleged kingpin, Haji Nahid Ghani, and his associate, Md. Tabrez, in Patna.
Kishanganj SDPO-I Khusru Siraj said the gang allegedly targeted unemployed youths by promising lucrative employment opportunities abroad.
Investigators suspect that the accused used firms, including Haji Nahid Ghani Private Limited and Taiba International Tour and Travels, to attract victims and collect large sums of money from them.
According to the police, the youths were promised jobs in countries such as Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.
However, instead of receiving the promised employment, some victims were allegedly transported illegally to Thailand and Malaysia through the “donkey route,” a network of irregular migration channels associated with human smuggling and trafficking.
The investigation has reportedly identified a Pakistani agent based in Malaysia as a key alleged accomplice.
The agent is accused of confining the victims and forcing them to work under exploitative conditions.
“This gang would extract large sums of money from young people and send them illegally to Malaysia and Thailand via the ‘donkey route’,” SDPO-I Khusru Siraj said, adding that a Pakistani agent based in Malaysia played a key role in the operation.
The case came to light following a complaint lodged by Md. Suleman at Bishanpur police station in Kishanganj.
According to his complaint, the accused took Rs 1.80 lakh from him on the promise of securing employment abroad for his son, Noorzafar.
Suleman alleged that his son was first taken to Krabi in Thailand and subsequently smuggled into Malaysia through the illegal route.
Once there, a Pakistani agent allegedly confined Noorzafar in a room with several other young men before forcing him to work at a company in Johor.
“The accused took Rs 1.80 lakh and sent my son, Noorzafar, first to Krabi, Thailand, and then smuggled him into Malaysia via the illegal route,” Suleman alleged.
He further claimed that his son was confined with other youths before being forced to work in Johor.
Police are investigating the alleged network, its recruitment methods, the role of the firms used to attract victims and the involvement of suspected associates operating overseas.
The case has raised concerns about the exploitation of unemployed youths from Kishanganj and other parts of Seemanchal, who may be vulnerable to fraudulent overseas employment offers. (IANS)
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