Pune, 8th August 2026: A 28-year-old woman from Nagpur was allegedly trafficked to Portugal after being promised a well-paying supermarket job and was later forced into prostitution. The woman, who managed to escape from her alleged captors, has returned to India and approached the police.
The Airport Police have registered a case against eight people, including four suspects from Pune and four allegedly based in Lisbon, Portugal. The suspects have been identified as Pratima Bhati (38), Amitkumar Jha (40), Azhar Sheikh, Kapil Mishra, Vamsi, Chaitanya, Himmat Singh and Anilkumar.
According to the police, the woman was looking for a job when she came across a video posted on the social media page of We Migrate, a company based in Viman Nagar, in December 2025. The video showed people celebrating successful visa approvals.
After she contacted the company, she was called to Pune and offered a job in Europe. Pratima Bhati, Azhar Sheikh and Kapil Mishra allegedly collected around ₹11 lakh from her. In March 2026, they allegedly obtained her signatures on documents but did not provide an appointment letter.
The woman was sent to Portugal on May 21, 2026.
After reaching Portugal, Chaitanya, Vamsi and Himmat Singh allegedly took her passport and confined her at an undisclosed location. After another ₹40,000 was allegedly collected, her passport was returned and she was sent to work at a beer shop in Odemira.
Police said that Anilkumar allegedly called her and told her to keep the shop owner happy.
In June, the shop owner allegedly took the woman to his home. When she objected, he reportedly told her that he had paid the agents for her and that she had not been brought there for a job. He allegedly pressured her to meet people against her will and forced her into prostitution.
After realising that she had allegedly been trafficked and sold, the woman informed her husband over the phone. On the morning of June 29, she reportedly managed to escape when the accused were not watching.
She travelled through Spain and reached Delhi by air before returning to Nagpur.
Even after her return to India, the accused allegedly contacted her through WhatsApp calls and demanded ₹3 lakh. They also allegedly threatened to kill her husband.
The woman later approached the Crime Branch, following which a case was registered at the Airport Police Station.
No arrests have been made so far. The Crime Branch is searching for the accused, while the office of We Migrate has been sealed as part of the investigation.
Senior Police Inspector Santosh Sonawane of Crime Branch Unit 7 confirmed that further investigation is underway.