KUWAIT: Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Anas Al-Saleh on Thursday suspended an officer from work and referred him to Public Prosecution after suspicions of involvement in human trafficking. As part of the efforts made by the security apparatus to combat human trafficking and after investigations, a company, owned by the officer, was found involved in the field of recruiting workers from abroad and obtaining sums of money in return.

The company is accused of human trafficking and suspicions of forgery, said the interior ministry in a statement. It added that a lawsuit is being initiated against the officer and his partners, to take the necessary legal measures against them, while continuing to intensify investigations to uncover all violations committed by the owners of the company to refer them to the competent authorities.

Four persons detained for breaching lockdown
Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry said Thursday policemen arrested four expatriate workers for cutting barbed wire fences to break out of Mahboula area in Al-Ahmadi Governorate which is locked down due to coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

"During interrogations, the four persons confessed to the charges, and therefore legal measures to extradite them from Kuwait got underway," according to a press release from the Ministry's public relations and security media department.

Highlighting the need of everybody abiding by the decisions related to the combat against the pandemic, the statement said, "The security institution adopts a policy of zero tolerance in enforcing the lockdown to protect the public health."

Driver held for smuggling workers
In the meantime, the ministry said police arrested a bus driver working for a Ministry of Health contractor because he attempted to smuggle 100 people from Jleeb Al-Shuyouk, and legal actions were taken against him. Policeman stopped the bus and asked the driver about identities of passengers and he claimed they were MoH employees, a MoI statement said. The policemen checked identities of the passengers who were working for different companies irrelevant to the MoH, it added.

The bus driver then confessed he was smuggling the people outside Jleeb Al-Shuyouk for 20 Kuwaiti Dinars (around $65) per person, said the ministry. Legal actions against the driver are underway. Based on recommendations from the health authorities, the cabinet decided on Monday to lock down Mahboula and Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, Farwaniyah Governorate, after several infection cases were identified in both areas. - KUNA