KAMPALA-UGANDA/NEWSDAY: Immigration officials and police are holding a doctor suspected to be part of a human trafficking racket that has been operating in Kasubi, a Kampala city suburb.
Agnes Igoye, the deputy coordinator for the prevention of trafficking in persons at the ministry of Internal Affairs identified the suspect as Agnes Nsereko Katongole of St. Agnes clinic located near Kiboga stage in Kasubi.
The suspects were arrested following the interception of two victims at the Entebbe International Airport, who were being trafficked using visitor’s visas to Dubai on Thursday. Upon their arrest and interrogation, the victims revealed to police that it was Nsereko who was behind their movement, prompting police to raid St Agnes clinic and arrest her.
Police officers at Kasubi police post said that two other suspects, a man and a woman were arrested, by tracking Nsereko’s telephone communications. Igoye said the clinic was established to hoodwink people in the area, yet there have been other criminal acts going on. She said the warehouse behind is where they have been recruiting and holding victims for trafficking.
By the time of arresting the suspects, the group had reportedly been involved in trafficking a yet to be known numbers of victims abroad, in collaboration with other unauthorized companies with agents abroad.
“Apparently there are several other cases of people in Dubai, they recruited and we urge anyone in Kampala with information about these people’s acts that can help please come at immigration office and avail it to us,” Igoye said.
The two victims who were intercepted at the airport informed police that each had paid Shs 3 million. Nsereko together with the other two yet to be identified, are detained at Kasubi police on charges of human trafficking as the hunt for others accomplices at large goes on.
Police are still calling on Ugandans planning to leave for green pastures abroad to do due diligence on the legitimacy and legality of labor exporting companies to avoid falling into the traps of human traffickers. It’s estimated that close to 25 million people across the globe are trafficked every year.
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