Cabbie turns saviour for trafficked women

Cab drivers may not be the best bet when it comes to women’s safety, but one of their tribe turned a Good Samaritan for a mother-daughter duo who was trafficked to the Gulf and forced into flesh trade.

Tabrez Ahmed, a Bengaluru-based cabbie hailing from Tumakuru, lured the trafficker with a bait of more women. And Syed Khadar, 65, walked straight into the trap. He was arrested by police on Wednesday and remanded in judicial custody.

Seema, 24, a BPO employee, and mother Fathima, 45, a helper at a school, (names changed) had moved to Bengaluru from Tumakuru after the death of Fathima’s husband early this year. Tabrez was their neighbour.

The women came in contact with the accused, Syed Khadar, a resident of Thirvuvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, who promised Seema a high-paying BPO job in Kuwait. Her mother Fathima was also promised a helper’s job. On July 27, the women reached Kuwait, where Seema was taken to a consultancy firm and her mother to a Sheikh’s house as domestic help. Seema was later sent to Saudi Arabia.

Both were forced into flesh trade after their passports and other documents were seized. After a one-month ordeal, Seema managed to contact her mother, only to be informed that she was also being sexually abused by the Sheikh’s son.

Seema’s employer allowed her to visit her mother after she threatened to commit suicide. But in Kuwait, the Sheikh’s son preyed on her too. Both were made his sex slaves. With no help in sight, they contacted Tabrez and narrated their ordeal. They gave him Khadar's number.

Tabrez laid a trap for Khadar, saying he would supply him more women who are ready to go to Kuwait. When Khadar came to Tumakuru, Tabrez, along with a friend, caught him and took him to Tumakuru police.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Khadar had trafficked many women to Kuwait and Dubai. A senior police officer said they will approach the Ministry of External Affairs to bring back the victims.