20-25 ‘students’ trafficked to London for low-wage jobs

Officials have uncovered the involvement of an agent named Bittu. Representation pic/istock

Investigators probing the human trafficking network busted at the airport by the Immigration Bureau and the Mumbai Crime Branch's Property Cell have discovered that youngsters between the ages of 17 and 20, who were sent to London as students, did not attend a single class but ended up working as cleaners, drivers and labourers instead.

The accused, who claimed to be a professor at Om Sterling Global University in Hisar, Haryana, had made at least three trips to London before being caught on his fourth attempt. According to the Crime Branch's Property Cell, the accused professor trafficked at least 20-25 youngsters to London under the guise of a student exchange programme. Authorities are now gathering details of these students and reaching out to their families to determine their current status and activities in London.

Sources in the Crime Branch identified the ‘professor' as Vijender Prem Chand, 34. He has claimed ignorance of the human trafficking operation, stating that he was merely following orders from the university's vocational heads, whom he named as Poonam Beniwal and Sunil Arora. The Crime Branch is verifying his claims.

"The investigation has uncovered a well-organised human trafficking racket. The same individual has travelled to London three times before, trafficking at least 20-25 youngsters under the pretence of a student exchange programme. However, instead of education, these students were forced into low-wage jobs as cleaners, drivers and labourers," an investigating officer said.

The case came to light on March 10 when the ‘professor' was travelling to London via Jeddah with seven ‘students'. He was apprehended during immigration checks after officials noticed the students, aged between 17 and 20, behaving suspiciously.

"They could not speak English, were unaware of the course they were supposedly enrolled in and had no idea about the purpose of their trip to London. They didn't even know the name of the university they were supposedly going to," an officer said. During questioning by senior immigration officers, the trafficking ring was exposed. After an initial FIR was registered at Sahar police station, the case was transferred to the Crime Branch for further investigation.

The case has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges related to human trafficking and violations of the Passport Act. "Initial findings suggest the accused has been involved in trafficking for the past few months. It is suspected that others linked to the racket have used similar routes from different airports. The accused were charging Rs 20 lakh per youth," an officer said.

Officials have also uncovered the involvement of an agent named Bittu, who had met the accused at a hotel in Delhi and was using a London-based phone number to coordinate. A manhunt has been launched to track down Bittu and further expose the trafficking network.