Human trafficking to Iraq continues

Among them,two youth from Khojpur village near Bhogpur returned home on Saturday. “We managed to come back but all other boys of our group are still living in captivity of the local agents in Iraq,” said Ripan Kumar of Khojpur,who was promised a job as a carpenter in Iraq by a Bhogpur-based agent. His cousin Prem Pal also returned with him.

“We had spent just 20 days in Iraq. We had seen worst days of our life in these three weeks,as we were beaten up,sold and kept hungry for days,” alleged Ripan. “Instead of giving us the work we were promised,we were engaged in other hazardous works,” he said,adding that they will lodge a police complaint against the travel agent soon.

“We had to borrow money from commission agents on heavy interest rates,” said Prem Pal.

Meanwhile,the Hoshiarpur police registered four cases against travel agents as around a dozen of youth from the district were taken illegally to Iraq. Hoshiarpur SSP Rakesh Agrawal said: “The cases were being registered after we approached the victims. Some of them had settled their cases with the agents and refused to lodge a complaint.”

Victims to move HC

Victims of fraudulent immigration to Iraq,who had returned home recently after an ordeal of over seven months,plan to move the Punjab and Haryana High Court. These youth were allegedly forced to clear arms and ammunition from agricultural fields. An NGO,All India Forum for National Reconciliation,had moved a petition in the high court for bringing back 37 youth who went missing in Spain in 2007.