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India Diaspora
Trafficking: Airlines asked for travel information about MPs
Apr 26, 2007 - 4:41:30 PM

New Delhi, April 26 - The Delhi Police Thursday sent notices to five airlines including three international airlines to disclose travel information about the MPs allegedly involved in an international human trafficking racket, a senior official said.

Notices were sent to Indian Airlines, Air India, Austrian Airlines, British Airways and Northwest Airlines asking them to provide all information pertaining to five parliamentarians' domestic and international journeys during the past few years.

Information was sought on Bahujan Samaj Party - MPs from Uttar Pradesh - Mohammed Tahir Khan -, Mitrasen Yadav - and Ashok Rawat - - and the Bharatiya Janata Party - MPs Ramswaroop Koli - and Babubhai Katara -.

'After the allegations made by Sunder Lal Yadav against the lawmakers, we decided to probe the case from every angle. We have asked the airlines to disclose information of MPs' travels in and out of the country,' a senior police official told IANS.

Sunder Lal Yadav, a travel agent arrested Saturday with Rajendra Kumar Gampa and their female accomplice Kiran Dhar, alleged in a city court that Khan and Koli were the central figures in a racket involving smuggling people abroad on diplomatic passports of MPs' family members or forged documents.

During police interrogations, Sunder Lal Yadav also named Mitrasen Yadav and Rawat among those involved in the racket.

'The airlines have been asked to provide information about the past five years regarding their journeys. We expect the information would be provided to us in a week,' he added.

According to the official, the Delhi Police crime branch is ascertaining the number and identity of the people who were allegedly smuggled out of the country. 'We are also investigating the number of people involved in this organised racket.'

Delhi Police Tuesday contacted the US embassy and Canadian and British high commissions through the ministry of external affairs - to seek their cooperation in the matter.

The racket came to light April 18 when the police arrested Katara while he was allegedly trying to smuggle out a woman and a teenage boy to Toronto.

Special teams of the Crime Branch are conducting raids in several states, including Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab, to probe various aspects of the case that appears to have wider ramifications.



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