Kathmandu, May 10, 2016:Â As part of the crackdown on growing use of fake travel documents to sneak women to the Gulf countries, a joint squad from the Ministry of Labor and Employment and the Nepal Police on Monday carried out raids at the Tribhuvan International Airport and the Department of Foreign Employment based in Tahachal of Kathmandu.
The police arrested two women–one without work permit and the other with a re-entry visa–about to fly to Dubai with agents, manpower agencies and government authorities colluding to facilitate their travel.
During the raids, the joint team, led by Labor Minister Deepak Bohara and Senior Superintendent of Police Sarbendra Khanal, chief of Metropolitan Police Crime Division, found that Nepali women were being trafficked to the Gulf countries by faking travel documents in a manner that made it hard for the police and the immigration officials to detect any anomaly.
After the joint team apprehended Urmila Shrestha, 33, of Maisthan-3 of Mahottari, who was carrying a re-entry visa even though she was flying to Dubai for the first time, the team raided the offices for further investigation. The other woman held by the joint team is Muna BK, 27, Syabrun-1 of Sankhuwasava district, who had a valid visa but no work permit.
The use of re-entry visas to sneak women out of the country is on the rise because it arouses no suspicion among security agencies and immigration officials, according to the police.
Although the police suspect involvement of government officials, they have yet to make any arrest in the case.
The police also raided different manpower companies and travel agencies suspected of colluding to send the women to the Gulf countries.
During the operation, police apprehended seven people from a manpower company and three travel agencies. Police have also seized their computers for further investigate.
Following the arrest of the two women, seven other women about to fly to different Gulf countries same day cancelled their flight. “The immediate cancellation points to the growing trend of sending women to the Gulf using re-entry visas,” SSP Khanal added.
During the raids, the Labor Minster Bohara instructed the respective authorities to keep a close vigil on the illegal activities related to migrant workers so that poor and innocent Nepali citizen won’t have to suffer in foreign lands.
