The Free Press Journal

Cops want to bring back victims of internatio­nal human traffickin­g

- SANTOSHEE GULABKALI MISHRA

The second set of three alleged accused, Aslam Rafique Panchal (52), Sunil Jivatram Nandani (53) and Narsiya Joseph Munjali (46), arrested in the internatio­nal human traffickin­g racket, were produced and remanded in judicial custody till May 16 by the Metropolit­an Magistrate Court in Mumbai.

On April 20, the Crime Branch of Mumbai Police along with the anti-robbery and dacoity cell busted a racket of internatio­nal human traffickin­g and had arrested three persons, namely Aarif Shafi Farukhi (38), Rajesh Balaram Pawar (47) and Fatima Farid Ahmed (48), and rescued four children from Chhatrapat­i Shivaji Internatio­nal Airport.

The police after investigat­ion arrested another set of three accused — Aslam Rafique Panchal (52) ,Sunil Jivatram Nandani (53) and Narsiya Joseph Munjali (46) — in the racket.

The investigat­ing official from the anti-dacoity cell told the court that the investigat­ion reveals that arrested accused Aslam Panchal is the mastermind of the internatio­nal human traffickin­g racket that allegedly selects children from financiall­y backward families of Punjab.

“Aslam Panchal has agents who lure financiall­y weak families in Punjab. He runs the racket from Mumbai and allegedly has travelled on various passports to many European countries.During the investigat­ion,the police have accessed various passports forged and fabricated by Aslam Panchal. It is still to ascertain that what total numbers of minors have been sent to European countries including the USbut the data of human traffickin­g by the racket is gone up from 25 to 50,” said the officer.

A source from the investigat­ing team reveals that they have accessed the names of 50 children.

“It is a crucial case as the police have retrieved only names but are still to access their “real names” and “families” of those who have been sent to France and the US,”saidthe source.

“Aslam Panchal,the mastermind of this racket, has forged and fabricated documents to open up several bank accounts. The further investigat­ion can only reveal on transactio­ns of monies that have taken place in these accounts. It can help in nailing either the families of the victim or his clients in various countries,”saidthe source.

At the same time,Sunil JivatramNa­ndani and Narsiya Joseph Munjali involved in the racket have also forged documents to make passports of the several victims.

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