According to officials at the Anti Human Trafficking Bureau, the accused used a Facebook group called “Journey to Australia” to lure their victims to Indonesia, forcing them to pay money equivalent to thousands of Australian dollars.
Police say the accused created fake IDs to lure at least ten Nepalis through the Facebook group by promising them work and study visas to Australia.
The victims are said to have paid up to $25,000 for each visa. Once the payment was made, they were then flown from the capital, Kathmandu, to Malaysia and then taken to Indonesia.
Govinda Thapaliya, Police Superintendent and spokesperson for the Anti Human Trafficking Bureau, told SBS Nepali that once in Indonesia, the alleged traffickers took the victims’ passports, cash and other possessions and locked them up in an apartment in Jakarta.
“Once in Indonesia, the accused were forcing their victims to ask their relatives in Nepal for more money..
“If the victims refused, they were beaten and tortured physically and mentally”, he said.
“Among the arrested five are Nepalis and the sixth person is an Indian national living in Australia”.
Two of the accused masterminds were Nepalis living in Indonesia, who pretended to be husband and wife.
“The couple would then falsely claim the wife was living in Australia and that she would provide any assistance that the victims may require”, said Mr Thapaliya.
Indonesian Police eventually arrested the trafficked people once their visas expired and were sent back to Nepal.
Based on the information provided by the victims police arrested the accused in various locations in Kathmandu, three of them at the international airport.
If convicted each face a jail sentence of up to 20 years and approximately AUD $2,600 fine.
