Kuwait police arrested members of a Bangladeshi criminal group allegedly involved in trafficking humans from Bangladesh to different middle-eastern countries. These victims have been subjected to harassment, physical abuse and humiliation in many ways.
According to Kuwait- based newspaper Al-Qabas, an Arabic daily and Arab Times, the Interior ministry arrested an unidentified Bangladeshi in connection with money laundering and trafficking in humans and issuing false visas.
According to the daily, the suspect is a leader of a three member gang, while two others have left the country after sensing trouble. They took Tk 1,396cr from 20,000 Bangladeshis who handed over the money to go to Kuwait in search of a better job.
The twist in the story came when one of the members of the criminal gang who fled Kuwait, came to Bangladesh and became a member of Parliament. The daily has revealed that the trio occupied sensitive positions in three major companies of Kuwait that brought into the country more than 20,000 Bangladeshi menial workers in exchange for large sums of money, which is believed to be more than 50 million dinars.
The criminal turned parliament member is also on the board of directors of a large bank in his country and that he frequently shuttled between Kuwait and Bangladesh. His does not stay in Kuwait for more than 48 hours.
The sources revealed that as soon as this MP learned he would be investigated by the personnel from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) he left the country about a week ago. The file of the company he was running has been seized. The sources said the file of the company managed by the suspect was seized after it came to light that the workers were not paid their salaries for more than 5 months.
Moreover, the workers who were brought on government cleaning contracts by the company discovered that they were victims of visa fraudulence. Their salaries were lower than that stipulated in their contracts. The sources pointed out the CID men have concluded through investigations that the three men have a large network of Bangladeshi employees working for them and are involved in trafficking.
The CID men have also learned that each Bangladeshi worker had paid between 1,800 and 2,200 dinars for menial work, while the driver’s visa is ‘sold’ for between 2,500 and 3,000 dinars. The sources added, another accused who is identified only as “S” is said to have left for an European country with the help of the company he works for. He alone is said to have brought into Kuwait about 7,000 workers on cleaning contracts.