Gang luring women with fake Gulf job offers busted

The FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle in Karachi has busted a gang involved in the exploitation of girls from impoverished families under the guise of getting them jobs in salons and beauty parlours in Gulf countries.

Women from various rural Sindh cities were lured with promises of high-paying jobs and then forced to work in dance bars. Secret cameras were used to record obscene videos, which were later used to blackmail the victims. During the operation, an agent connected to the gang, identified as Haziq Memon, was arrested from Hyderabad.

According to sources, young Pakistanis traveling to Europe after domestic trips are allegedly being recruited into a new international trafficking network. A few days ago, nearly 33 women were rescued from hotels in Saddar area, who were about to be sent to Dubai the next day. Those women were originally from various cities in Punjab.

During the recent operation, FIA's Anti-Human Trafficking Circle in Karachi uncovered a new gang involved in similar illicit activities. Speaking to The Express Tribune, the investigating officer, Masroor, said that Karachi Airport immigration staff stopped a woman at Jinnah Terminal on suspicion and referred the case to the FIA. The woman stated that she had not intended to travel to Dubai, as she had unknowingly become trapped in a dangerous network.

According to the FIA officer, a female agent had promised her a high-paying salon job in Dubai several months ago. However, upon arrival, she was forced to work in a dance bar and sexually exploited. Over three months, secret cameras were installed in different rooms to record obscene videos without her knowledge. When she later refused to return to Dubai, the gang used these videos to threaten and intimidate her entire family.

The woman revealed that the gang specifically targets women from needy and impoverished households, first luring them with promises and then forcing them into a life of exploitation. The central agent coordinated with multiple sub-agents to send women to Dubai, with Haziq Memon, identified through the woman's mobile phone as responsible for recruiting women from rural Sindh and facilitating their travel, ultimately leading to sexual exploitation in Gulf countries. Investigators are also checking if the network operates in countries other than Dubai.

Haziq Memon told The Express Tribune that he primarily works in real estate and only assisted the woman with immigration arrangements. He admitted that some women were sent to dance clubs but denied knowledge of the blackmail operations.