RAWALPINDI: A Chinese national was apprehended at Islamabad International Airport on Wednesday for allegedly trafficking a Pakistani woman who claims to have been sold by her parents.

The alleged trafficker was operating a marriage bureau in F-7/1. He was stopped from boarding Air China flight CA-946 after he approached the briefing counter with a woman.

FIA authorities said the passengers approached the counter to travel to China. During the investigation that followed, the woman alleged that her parents had sold her to the suspect for Rs500,000.

She said she was not willing to leave the country, and feared that she would be sold to someone else once she is abroad.

In her statement, she also alleged that a previous attempt had been made to sell her to an individual in Qatar on Feb 4, and her travel documents were taken from her. When she protested, the Qatari authorities sent her back to Pakistan, she said.

She said the suspect runs a marriage bureau in the capital along with a Pakistani. She said the suspect appeared to be involved in human trafficking.

The victim holds a Pakistani passport and lives in Sargodha. She said in her statement that she was not willing to travel with the suspect.

According to an FIA official, both the suspect and the victim were taken into custody by immigration staff and taken to the Anti-Human Trafficking Cell in G-13 for further investigation.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2019