South-East Asia human trafficking now a global crisis, Interpol says
Singapore Reuters Organised crime rings who fuelled an “explosion” of human trafficking and cyber scam centres during the pandemic have expanded from South-East Asia into a global network making up to $US3 trillion a year, the head of Interpol said on Wednesday. “Driven by online anonymity, inspired by new business models and accelerated by COVID, […]
Trafficking for cyber fraud an increasingly globalised crime, Interpol says
Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Interpol said on Friday its first operation targeting human-trafficking fueled cyber fraud showed the criminal industry was going global, spreading beyond its origins in South-East Asia, with scam centres emerging as far away as Latin America. The global police coordination body said law enforcement from more than 20 countries in October carried […]
Interpol can’t do much more to stop abuse of ‘red notices’, chief says
Vienna, Austria Reuters Interpol has come a long way in preventing abuse by Russia and others of its “red notice” system where a country asks others to arrest a suspect, and cannot do much more for now to improve it, the agency’s head said on Tuesday. Rights groups, legal experts and others have long said […]
American ex-priest in East Timor found guilty of sex abuse
Oecusse, East Timor AP A defrocked American priest accused of sexually abusing orphaned and disadvantaged young girls under his care in East Timor was found guilty Tuesday and sentenced to 12 years in prison, in the first case of its kind in the staunchly Catholic nation. Richard Daschbach, 84, who spent decades as a missionary […]
Traffickers, smugglers exploiting COVID-19, Interpol warns after global crackdown
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Dozens of suspected victims of human trafficking were rescued and more than 200 people arrested in a global crackdown on smuggling and trafficking networks, Interpol said on Friday. The recent week-long operation involved authorities from 32 nations across several continents and led to the identification of 3,500 irregular migrants, the global […]
In a first, Bangladesh seeks Interpol’s help to arrest trafficking kingpins
Dhaka, BangladeshThomson Reuters Foundation Bangladesh has shared details of suspected human traffickers with Interpol for the first time, a police official said on Tuesday, as it seeks to stop the kidnap and killing of migrants. Minto Mia became the first Bangladeshi trafficker to feature on the international police agency’s Red Notice list of wanted fugitives […]
‘Cardinal’s lady’ arrested in Milan is latest to be accused in widening Vatican scandal
Vatican CityRNS Italian police arrested Cecilia Marogna, a figure connected to recent scandals over allocations of Vatican funds, in Milan on Tuesday and accused her of embezzlement. The judicial authorities at the Vatican issued an international arrest warrant for Marogna, known as “the cardinal’s lady” by local media for her connection to Cardinal Angelo Becciu, […]
Paperwork not patrols: South-East Asian policewomen face career obstacles
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Female police officers in South-East Asia are rarely allowed out on patrol and instead given administrative roles that hold back their careers, the United Nations and international police organisation Interpol said last week. Women account for between six to 20 per cent of police officers in the 10-member Association of Southeast […]
Dozens of trafficking victims rescued in Interpol crackdown in the Balkans
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation At least 89 victims of human trafficking were rescued and dozens of suspected traffickers arrested in a crackdown on organised crime groups in the Balkans, Interpol said this week. Operation Theseus saw 3,000 officers from eight nations including Albania, Moldova and Turkey dispatched to crime hotspots including border checkpoints, train and […]
Some 85 child slaves rescued from Sudan’s streets and gold mines
Thomson Reuters Foundation Nearly 100 human trafficking victims have been rescued in a major police operation in Sudan, including dozens of children forced to work in illegal gold mines, Interpol said on Monday. Operation Sawiyan involved 200 Sudanese police officers who rescued 94 people, including 85 minors, from criminal networks in and around the capital, […]