Nepali women promised work in Hong Kong caught with fake Indian IDs

A criminal network smuggled young Nepali women into India despite the prominent presence of non-governmental organisations working against human trafficking along the eastern border of Nepal. So far, nine arrests have been made, seven women and two men were nabbed at the Panitanki border point in India. The traffickers were planning to send the Nepali nationals to Hong Kong using fake Indian IDs.

On Friday (August 1), seven women between the ages of 16 and 21, along with two men, entered India through the Kakadbhitta-Panitanki crossing via Mechi river. The traffickers have worked around legal loopholes to smuggle young girls. They managed to dodge Nepali Police and the NGO representatives usually stationed at the border.

The border security force of India, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), asked them for IDs to verify their authenticity. And it was during the initial questioning that the entire plan was revealed. They were then handed over to Khoribari Police of India to conduct out further probe. During the investigation, the authorities found that the women had Indian passports and Aadhaar cards in addition to the Nepali documents in their possession. Each detainee was charged between $2,140 and $3,566 for the entire package.

Speaking to news outlet The Kathmandu Post, Govinda Ghimire, chief of Kakadbhitta office of Maiti Nepal, a Nepali NGO that works to rescue trafficked women said, “We had gone to the police station to facilitate the rescue of the girls and hand them over to their guardians. The India police were preparing paperwork to send them back. But once Indian passports, Aadhaar cards, and Nepali documents were found in their possession, the Indian police refused to release them.”

Since 2005, Hong Kong has imposed restrictions on issuing work or domestic helper visas to Nepali nationals. But there is no such restriction for Indian passport holders. And so, this has been the tactic used by the traffickers.