Four women all set to be flown to Tanzania last Saturday by an agent for ´putting on a cultural dance´, have been rescued by Maiti Nepal after TIA security was tipped off that they were being sent illegally for commercial purposes.

However, police have not been able to identify the agent who has been named as ´Sabin Shrestha aka Kale´ and is accused of sending numerous girls to various Gulf and African countries under different visas. 

The rescued women are aged 22 to 25. The agent handed the women their passports and citizenship cards just 10 minutes before entering the immigration area.

Three of them were to fly on holiday visas and one on a work visa. One woman with the surname Gurung, who hails from Lubu and is aged 22, said, "I followed their instructions and tried to enter the immigration area but was stopped by officials who had suspicions about my documents."

Another woman, with the surname Tamang, who is 24 and comes from Morang, turned back from the sterile area, where people cleared by security go before boarding a flight, after she learnt about Gurung being delayed by immigration.

The women were hired for at least four months and promised Rs 100,000 per month each. "I was not aware about the details of my work and responsibilities," Gurung said. 

"I got to know the agent through a friend. I was given Rs 90,000 as an advance to do some shopping," said a woman who surname is Baruwal, is aged 22 and hails from Dhading. Surprisingly, she didn´t know how to dance but was promised a dancing job. 

There is a nexus with some airport officials, who clear visas without checking for authenticity, and other stakeholders such as labor officials, they said. 

Another woman, who is 25, hails from Bhaktapur and has the Shrestha surname, already worked in Tanzania twice before. She said, "In my earlier visits there I earned good money in a short time."

According to Maiti Nepal officials, the four women have been in contact with family members and will be handed over to them after completing some legal formalities. Sumitra Shrestha, shelter officer at Maiti, said they rescued about 39 women and girls about to be sent to the Gulf illegally in 2012. 

The Department of Labor has been investigating if there is any involvement of officials, according to Uma Tamang, legal officer at Maiti.

 Published on: 21 February 2013 | Republica