Man remanded on suspicion of aggravated human trafficking

Border Guard: Victim threatened with violence, and passport taken away

print this

The Finnish Guard suspects that at least two men with an Indian background have forced another Indian-born man to work without pay in Finland over a period of more than a year and a half.
      The two are also suspected of having threatened the man with violence.
      The case appears to be the first time that human trafficking is suspected in a human smuggling case.
     
Vantaa District Court ordered on Friday that one of the two men be remanded in custody on probable cause of aggravated human trafficking.
      The Finnish Border Guard has also arrested another man and requested that he be remanded on suspicion of the same crime. The court will review the request on Monday.
      Both suspects are currently citizens and residents of Finland.
      Marko Jokela, who is heading the investigation at the Border Guard, says that the suspected victim of human trafficking was illegally brought from Delhi to Finland in 2005.
     
The Border Guard suspects that the case involves a criminal organisation, which arranged for the man to get a visa under false pretences.
      The victim of the alleged human trafficking says that he had paid about EUR 17,500 to the suspected traffickers. According to their instructions, the man applied for political asylum in Finland under a false name.
      "He had been promised work, and earnings of EUR 1,100 - 1,200 a month in Finland. According to his own words, he was never paid", Jokela points out. The alleged abuse began in June 2005 and continued until late March this year.
      The man worked for 10 to 12 hours a day. The two suspects are also believed to have taken the victim’s passport away.
      According to the Border Guard, the man was compelled to work in various tasks in several different companies. Marko Jokela would not say what kinds of companies were involved.
      However, Helsingin Sanomat has learned that the suspects in the case forced their victim to do restaurant work and market place sales in various cities in the south of Finland.
      One of the suspects has managed and partially owned a Helsinki-based restaurant business.
      The suspects have also operated in a company selling goods, mainly clothing items, in open markets.
     
The Border Guard has granted the victim a period of two months to recover from the ordeal, and to decide whether or not to agree to cooperation with officials.
      The Directorate of Immigration can grant victims of human trafficking a special residence permit if they agree to cooperate.
      "Our investigation will move forward largely according to what he tells us. We will seek to find out what really happened through our own investigation", Jokela says.
      The Border Guard feels that it is possible that there are more than two people behind the human trafficking activities, and that there might be more than one victim.
      "Our investigation is only just beginning", Jokela says.
      The Border Guard has completed its investigation into another case of human smuggling involving Indians. Prosecutors are considering charges in the case, in which two men of Indian background are suspected of arranging illegal immigration. The two people suspected in the case live in Finland and Sweden.
      They are believed to have organised the illegal entry of 15 Indians to the Schengen zone last summer and autumn.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finland grants residence permit to victim of human trafficking (12.4.2007)
  Finland becoming major transit point for human trafficking (26.1.2007)
  Main defendant unexpectedly admits to pimping in human trafficking trial (9.1.2007)

Helsingin Sanomat