Gujarat businessman held at Mumbai airport for alleged role in human trafficking

MUMBAI: A 74-year-old businessman from Ahmedabad was arrested from Mumbai airport on Friday for his alleged involvement in human trafficking.
It is alleged that he facilitated the trip of 15 people from Gujarat to the United Kingdom and other European nations. None of these 15 individuals returned to India after departing in 2016.
Immigration officials at the Mumbai International Airport acted following a look-out circular (LOC) and prevented Chittaranjan Dave, a resident of Ahmedabad, and his wife from boarding a flight to Mauritius on Friday morning.
Investigations conducted by immigration officials revealed that Dave had registered a company in 2007 named "Nirbhay Impex Private Limited," primarily involved in the manufacturing of machinery and equipment. However, he allegedly exploited this company for the purpose of human trafficking to the UK and other European countries.
During the inquiry, Dave's mobile phone was seized, leading to the discovery of chats and documents related to at least three more individuals for whom he was purportedly making arrangements for trafficking to the UK. Subsequently, Dave confessed to having trafficked a minimum of 15 people from Gujarat since 2016, according to a police officer from the Sahar police station.
The complaint, filed by assistant immigration officer Utkarsh Anand, stated that the LOC specified Dave as a "suspected human trafficker" and recommended thorough questioning.
Further investigation revealed that on August 3, three individuals — Harsh Parekh, Kunalkumar Patel, and Rikeshkumar Patel — traveled to the UK via Dubai. These travel arrangements were made by Dave, who used the pretext of inspecting machinery intended for import to India.
The ongoing probe aims to determine the total cost charged by Dave for his illicit trafficking services to the UK.