Nagpur Woman Trafficked to Portugal in Job Scam, Eight Accused
A 28-year-old woman from Nagpur was allegedly trafficked to Portugal and sold to a beer shop owner after a Pune-based consultancy promised her a high-paying overseas job and extorted her of nearly Rs 11 lakh, police said. The case was registered earlier this week against eight accused, including the operators of the consultancy 'We Migrate', on charges of human trafficking, fraud, and extortion.
According to the complaint, the woman came across the consultancy's advertisement on Instagram last month. The agency operators promised her a job as a cashier in Portugal, with a monthly salary of Rs 1.5 lakh and an eight-hour workday. Convinced by the offer, she paid the amount in installments towards visa and other documentation fees. In total, she was defrauded of about Rs 11 lakh.
Upon arrival in Portugal, the woman's passport was confiscated by the alleged traffickers, and she was held in a room for two days. She was later sold to a beer shop owner, where she was forced to work under severe mental and physical duress. When she requested the return of her passport, the accused demanded more money, officials said.
After enduring nearly a month of abuse, the woman managed to escape. She travelled by bus to Lisbon, then to Madrid, and eventually returned to India via Doha. On her arrival back home, the fraudsters allegedly demanded another Rs 3 lakh, claiming they could arrange a job for her in Malta. When she refused, they threatened to kill her husband and implicate her in false cases, prompting her to approach the Pune police.
Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, and a search is underway for the accused. The incident highlights the growing menace of overseas job fraud, where unscrupulous agents exploit vulnerable job seekers, often leading to human trafficking and forced labour. Authorities have urged citizens to verify the credentials of recruitment agencies and report suspicious offers to the police or the Ministry of External Affairs.
The woman is currently safe and cooperating with the investigation, officials said. Further details are awaited as the probe continues.
