Court sends 11 suspected Chinese traffickers to jail
Releases two Chinese-Pakistani couples after wives state they wish to live with Chinese husbands
Chinese nationals arrive at a court in Islamabad after being arrested by the FIA for their alleged involvement in a trafficking ring to lure women from Pakistan into fake marriages and then forcing them into prostitution in China. PHOTO: AFP
RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD:
A court in the federal capital on Thursday sent a suspected gang of human traffickers, including some Chinese men, to jail even as it released two Chinese-Pakistani couples after the Pakistani wives stated that they had married the Chinese men of their own free will.
This was decided in an Islamabad District Court where the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday presented the 16 suspects, including 11 Chinese men and two women.
The FIA had sought physical custody of the suspects in order to continue with their investigations in the case.
During the hearing, the two women who had been recovered along with the suspects appeared before the court.
The Pakistani Muslim woman said that she had married the Chinese man after he converted to Islam and swore that they had a consensual marriage which they were quite keen on keeping.
Similarly, the Christian woman who had been arrested along with her Chinese husband made similar claims of marrying each other of their own free will.
Another Chinese ‘sex trafficking’ gang busted in Rawalpindi
On hearing this, the judge ordered to release both the couples.
The court, though, turned down the FIA’s request for physical remand and instead decided to send the remaining 11 Chinese nationals and their Pakistani accomplice to the Adiyala jail on judicial remand instead.
Social media entrapment
Meanwhile, anti-smuggling cell of the FIA has disclosed that some of the suspects have disclosed the method a gang of Chinese traffickers adopt to trap Pakistani girls.
During the investigation, information gathered from some 30 suspected human traffickers arrested from across the country showed that gang members use social media to identify, track and then approach girls from middle-class backgrounds with requests of friendship.
After developing a rapport with them, they gradually start to lure the women by giving them gifts worth thousands of rupees and then by professing their love for them. Some even promised to embrace Islam in order to overcome any hitch the girls may have in marrying them.
The investigations further disclosed that the suspects also worked hard to win the trust of the girls’ family by masquerading as Muslims.
Once they had managed to convince the girl and their families, they would come to Pakistan and marry them and process their papers to take them back to China where they would use these women for organ harvesting or force them into baser professions.
It was disclosed that all the suspects were unemployed in China and had taken up trafficking to earn money.
The sources said that a number of Pakistani women have already fallen prey to these traffickers and have travelled to China.
Officials said that the human trafficking cell of FIA was working on collecting data relating to these women, especially tracing their whereabouts and living conditions in China so as to provide them with consular support and possible rescue.
The sources added that the Pakistani embassy in China has also been informed about the entire scenario so that the related officials take measures to ensure the recovery and protection of victims in China.
Over the past few days, the FIA have apprehended as many as 16 Chinese nationals along with their Pakistani facilitators and five women.
On Tuesday, the FIA had arrested seven suspects, including three Chinese nationals, from different locations in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
A day later, FIA officials in Rawalpindi apprehended 13 Chinese nationals and some local women who were involved in trafficking women. There have been arrests of Chinese men in other parts of the country as well.
The Chinese embassy in Islamabad had in a statement declared that “Chinese laws and regulations strictly prohibited cross-national matchmaking centres and we hope that the public does not believe in misleading information and work together to safeguard China-Pakistan friendship.”
WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM IMRAN ASGHAR IN RAWALPINDI
Published in The Express Tribune, May 10th, 2019.
A court in the federal capital on Thursday sent a suspected gang of human traffickers, including some Chinese men, to jail even as it released two Chinese-Pakistani couples after the Pakistani wives stated that they had married the Chinese men of their own free will.
This was decided in an Islamabad District Court where the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday presented the 16 suspects, including 11 Chinese men and two women.
The FIA had sought physical custody of the suspects in order to continue with their investigations in the case.
During the hearing, the two women who had been recovered along with the suspects appeared before the court.
The Pakistani Muslim woman said that she had married the Chinese man after he converted to Islam and swore that they had a consensual marriage which they were quite keen on keeping.
Similarly, the Christian woman who had been arrested along with her Chinese husband made similar claims of marrying each other of their own free will.
Another Chinese ‘sex trafficking’ gang busted in Rawalpindi
On hearing this, the judge ordered to release both the couples.
The court, though, turned down the FIA’s request for physical remand and instead decided to send the remaining 11 Chinese nationals and their Pakistani accomplice to the Adiyala jail on judicial remand instead.
Social media entrapment
Meanwhile, anti-smuggling cell of the FIA has disclosed that some of the suspects have disclosed the method a gang of Chinese traffickers adopt to trap Pakistani girls.
During the investigation, information gathered from some 30 suspected human traffickers arrested from across the country showed that gang members use social media to identify, track and then approach girls from middle-class backgrounds with requests of friendship.
After developing a rapport with them, they gradually start to lure the women by giving them gifts worth thousands of rupees and then by professing their love for them. Some even promised to embrace Islam in order to overcome any hitch the girls may have in marrying them.
The investigations further disclosed that the suspects also worked hard to win the trust of the girls’ family by masquerading as Muslims.
Once they had managed to convince the girl and their families, they would come to Pakistan and marry them and process their papers to take them back to China where they would use these women for organ harvesting or force them into baser professions.
It was disclosed that all the suspects were unemployed in China and had taken up trafficking to earn money.
The sources said that a number of Pakistani women have already fallen prey to these traffickers and have travelled to China.
Officials said that the human trafficking cell of FIA was working on collecting data relating to these women, especially tracing their whereabouts and living conditions in China so as to provide them with consular support and possible rescue.
The sources added that the Pakistani embassy in China has also been informed about the entire scenario so that the related officials take measures to ensure the recovery and protection of victims in China.
Over the past few days, the FIA have apprehended as many as 16 Chinese nationals along with their Pakistani facilitators and five women.
On Tuesday, the FIA had arrested seven suspects, including three Chinese nationals, from different locations in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
A day later, FIA officials in Rawalpindi apprehended 13 Chinese nationals and some local women who were involved in trafficking women. There have been arrests of Chinese men in other parts of the country as well.
The Chinese embassy in Islamabad had in a statement declared that “Chinese laws and regulations strictly prohibited cross-national matchmaking centres and we hope that the public does not believe in misleading information and work together to safeguard China-Pakistan friendship.”
WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM IMRAN ASGHAR IN RAWALPINDI
Published in The Express Tribune, May 10th, 2019.