SYDNEY, Jun 12 (NNN-AAP) – A woman has been arrested on human trafficking charges, after allegedly luring students from Papua New Guinea (PNG) to Australia, with fake scholarships before exploiting them.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP), said in a news release today that, the 56-year-old woman, a dual citizen of Australia and Nigeria, was arrested yesterday, upon arrival at Brisbane Airport, on a flight from PNG.
She has been charged with 31 offenses, including four counts of trafficking in persons, 14 counts of deceptive recruiting for labour or services, and 13 counts of engaging in conduct that caused a person to enter into debt bondage.
Australian federal authorities commenced an investigation in July, 2022, when its human trafficking team received information from police in the state of Queensland, about a group of PNG nationals who had moved to Australia to study, but were instead being forced to work on farms.
The AFP alleges that, between Mar, 2021, and July, 2023, the woman brought 15 PNG nationals to Australia on the promise of full educational scholarships.
Shortly before, or after, their arrival in Australia, the students were forced to sign legal documents, agreeing to pay the woman for costs associated with tuition, airfares, visas, insurance and legal fees, placing them in debt.
The woman allegedly then forced the PNG nationals to work on farms across Queensland, and withheld their wages to repay their debts.
If convicted, she faces a maximum prison sentence of 12 years for each count of trafficking in persons, seven years for each charge of deceptive recruiting and four years for each charge of causing a person to enter debt bondage.– NNN-AAP
