Chinese marriage scam: FIA continues crackdown against Chinese nationals involved in human trafficking

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday has busted another human smuggling cell. 11 Chinese nationals and two Pakistanis from Johar Town, Lahore were arrested as FIA continued its crackdown against human trafficking.

According to the FIA, the suspects pretended to be Muslims to marry in Muslim families, while marriage bureau agents would take commission for seeking Pakistani proposals. The girls were sent to China after marriage.

A girl who was rescued by the FIA told the authorities they were threatened with having their organs removed.

The crackdown operation is being carried out on full swing in various regions of Punjab reportedly. Earlier this week, the FIA arrested fifteen Chinese nationals including a woman from Rawalpindi accused of trafficking Pakistani girls to China. The gang was led by a Chinese national Song Chuaoyang who was also arrested.

FIA recovered two Pakistani girls from the accused. According to FIA authorities, a Christian and two Muslims girls were earlier sent back to their parents.

Similarly, FIA busted another gang of Chinese nationals on Monday, who were involved in trafficking Pakistani girls to China by contracting marriages.

The arrest of the 20 suspects came a day after 11 members of a Chinese gang were taken into custody by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Lahore amid reports that over 90 Pakistani women, many of them belonging to less privileged Christian families, have already been trafficked after being trapped into fake marriages.

According to Deputy Director FIA Jamil Ahmad Khan Mayo, the authorities, as part of a crackdown against foreigners involved in illegal activities in the country, arrested eight Chinese nationals from Lahore airport and other areas on the charges of trafficking young women to China after marrying them.

The suspects, with the assistance of Pakistani agents, contracted marriages with unsuspecting local girls and then trafficked them to China where the victims were forced into prostitution, authorities reported.

According to the officials, the suspected leader of the ring is the son of a Punjab Police officer, who had fled when a raid was conducted for his arrest. The officials said the suspected ring leader has acquired interim bail until May 13.

However, China denies reports of Pakistani women forced into prostitution, human organ trade.

The Chinese Embassy on Thursday denied media reports that Pakistan women were being forced into prostitution or sale of human organs.

The embassy in an issued statement said, “According to investigations by the Ministry of Public Security of China, there is no forced prostitution or sale of human organs for those Pakistani women who stay in China after marriage with Chinese”.

The statement further added that a few criminals would not be allowed to undermine China’s friendship with Pakistan and hurt friendly feelings between people of the two countries.

The embassy clarified China’s position on the issue of transnational marriage was to protect legitimate marriages and combat crimes. Saying, “If any organization or individual commits a crime in Pakistan under the banner of the cross-border marriage, China supports the Pakistani side to crack down on it according to Pakistani laws.”

The embassy has informed that the Ministry of Public Security China had sent a task force to Pakistan to carry out law enforcement cooperation. “China will further strengthen cooperation with the law enforcement agencies in Pakistan, effectively combat crime, so as to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the two peoples, and jointly safeguard China-Pakistan friendly relations,” the statement added.