Finland Times

 

File Photo – Lehtikuva.

An international criminal organisation is suspected of human trafficking from India to Europe via Finland, sources at the Finnish Border Guard said.

 

They said the traffickers use a route passing through Russia and Salla or the Raja-Jooseppi border-crossing points. 

 

The people smuggled into Finland have applied for asylum. 

 

They have also attempted to continue with their journey deeper into Europe, found a preliminary investigation.

 

The Gulf of Finland Coast Guard detained a suspected human trafficker at the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport at the end of January. By the end of March, 16 more people had been apprehended on criminal suspicions. Thirteen of them are still in custody. The suspects are citizens of India, Pakistan, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

 

According to the Border Guard, at least 45 people have been trafficked from India into Finland charging each of them around 15,000 euros for the trip.