A total of 17 people, including 13 Chinese nationals, have been arrested in Pakistan for their alleged involvement in smuggling young Pakistani girls to China after luring them into fake marriages and then into forced prostitution.
The Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) arrested seven people, including three Chinese nationals, on Tuesday who were part of a human trafficking gang.
The FIA Rawalpindi arrested the gang led by Chinese national Song Chuaoyang who was also arrested, Geo News reported.
Deputy Director FIA Kamran Ali said the Chinese nationals were involved in fake marriages with Pakistani girls and later used them for prostitution and organ removal.
On Monday, at least 10 Chinese nationals, including a woman, were arrested in Pakistan for allegedly luring young Pakistani girls into fake marriages then forcing them into prostitution in China.
The FIA arrested eight Chinese nationals, including a woman, on Monday, after two other Chinese nationals were arrested during a marriage ceremony in Fasialabad, about 150 kilometres from Lahore, last week.
"On Monday, we arrested seven Chinese men and a Chinese woman for their alleged involvement in trafficking of Pakistani girls to China for the purpose of prostitution," FIA Punjab Director Tariq Rustam told PTI.
The FIA swung into action following reports of Chinese nationals' involvement in organ trade and forced prostitution of Pakistani girls, mostly from the minority Christian community, after marrying them and taking them to China.
Their leader, indentified as 'Candice', was among those arrested, Rustam said, adding he has been living near the Lahore airport for the last one year.
"The girls were moved to the rented houses acquired by the Chinese in Lahore where they were taught the Chinese language before they left for China after completion of their marriage related documents," he said, adding the girls were forced into prostitution in China.
"We are collecting the data of the girls trafficked to China during the last couple of years. Their number may run into hundreds," Rustam said.
"We are interrogating the arrested Chinese nationals and will hopefully arrest all those involved in the crime," he added.
The government recently ordered the FIA to take action against the gangs involved in smuggling of Pakistani girls to China on the pretext of contracting marriage.
According to the local media reports, poor Christian girls are lured with money and promises of a 'good life' by the illegal matchmaking centres to marry Chinese men who are either visiting or working in Pakistan.
These centres produce fake documents of Chinese men showing them either as Christians or Muslims. Most of the girls reportedly became victims of human trafficking and were forced into prostitution, the report said.
