Thirty-two women nursing graduates from Kerala, suspected to be victims of human trafficking, were rescued from the Kempegowda International Airport during the early hours on Tuesday. The BIAL police arrested the suspect and is likely to be produced before Devanahalli court this afternoon.
Tony Tom (40), who runs Hopesyn Education Education Institution in Mangaluru was arrested on Tuesday around 4 am, after receiving an alert from the Immigration officials that he was taking to 32 nursing students to the University of Traditional Medicine of Armenia (UTMA) for a two-month short-term course to learn German language, the police said. The immigration officials doubted the veracity of the course and informed the police.
The nursing students were sent back to their native places. During the interrogation, Tom told police that he had earlier sent two medical students to UTMA. He also told police that he had asked the UTMA to send a confirmation letter to BIAL police regarding the admissions of the nursing students.
"We have registered an FIR and booked him under suspected human trafficking, following a complaint filed by the Immigration officials. We will wait for the confirmation letter. However, he will be produced before the court this afternoon."
Victims told police that Tom had given them a copy of the advertisement appeared in a newspaper about the short-term German course in UTMA and the job benefits in reputed hospitals if they learn it.