Pune Woman Allegedly Trafficked to Portugal Under Fake Job Promise, Forced Into Prostitution; FIR Filed Against Placement Agents

Pune : A shocking case of alleged human trafficking has emerged from Pune, where a 28-year-old woman from Nagpur has accused a city-based placement agency of sending her to Portugal on the false promise of a supermarket job and later selling her to a beer shop owner for exploitation.

The woman alleged that she was cheated of ₹11 lakh by a placement firm operating from Phoenix Marketcity, Viman Nagar, after being promised a high-paying overseas job. After reaching Portugal, she claimed she was held captive, her passport was taken away, and she was forced into circumstances linked to prostitution.

The incident reportedly took place between December 2025 and July 2026 in Pune and Portugal. Based on her complaint, the Viman Nagar Police have registered a case against several accused, including Pratima Bhati, Amit Kumar Jha, Azhar Shaikh, and Kapil Mishra from Pune, along with three individuals based in Portugal — Vamsi, Chaitanya, and Himmat Singh.

According to the police complaint, the woman came across an Instagram page of a company named “We Migrate”, which claimed to help people secure overseas employment. She was allegedly shown promotional videos of candidates getting foreign visas and was invited to their office in Pune.

The accused allegedly promised her a job in Portugal, claiming she would work as a supermarket cashier or accountant with a monthly salary of around ₹1.5 lakh, an eight-hour work schedule, weekly holidays, and a three-year work permit. Trusting these claims, she paid ₹11 lakh in multiple installments.

The woman travelled from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi and later to Madrid, Spain, on May 21, 2026. She alleged that after reaching Spain, she was taken to Portugal by people associated with the accused. Upon arrival, her passport was allegedly confiscated, and she was kept locked inside a room for two days until she paid ₹40,000.

She was later taken to a house in Odemira, Portugal, where two other women — one from Rajasthan and another from Haryana — were also staying. The complainant alleged that instead of a supermarket job, she was sent to work at a beer shop.

The woman further alleged that when she questioned the situation, one of the accused told her to “adjust” until her student residence permit was processed. However, on June 27, she claimed the beer shop owner sent her to his residence and she was told that she had to “keep the owner happy”.

According to her complaint, the shop owner allegedly told her that he had paid money to the placement agents and that she was not sent there for employment but for whatever work he demanded. The woman claimed the other two women also informed her that they were being forced into similar exploitation.

After realising she had been deceived, the woman contacted her husband and managed to escape from the location on June 29. She travelled through Portugal and Spain before returning to India via Doha and Delhi.

After reaching India, she alleged that one of the accused continued to threaten her over WhatsApp calls, demanding ₹3 lakh and threatening to implicate her husband in a false case if she refused to pay.

Initially, she did not approach the police due to mental distress and fear. However, after coming to Pune and sharing the details with the Crime Branch, a case was registered at the Viman Nagar Police Station.

Police have started an investigation into the alleged overseas job fraud and human trafficking network. Authorities are also examining the role of the accused persons in sending other victims abroad under false employment promises.