An Indian woman on an entertainers visa in Australia has gone missing, sparking fears of human trafficking.
28-year-old Amandeep whose visa has since expired was among a group of eight Indian entertainers who were in Adelaide to perform at an Indian festival in April at the invitation of the organisers.
While two male members of the group, including the group leader, left Adelaide on 12th April, after the festival, Amandeep went missing four days later. The entire group was due to return to India on the 18th.
Harneet Kaur, the organiser of the festival who also arranged for the group’s stay at her home, says though Amandeep appears to have gone on her own volition, she could unwittingly fall prey to human traffickers.
'Extremely worried'
“Since I and my husband had invited her to Australia, we are extremely worried about her wellbeing. Her phone is not reachable," she said.
“We have tried to contact the men Amandeep had been in touch with for arranging her stay in Sydney but they aren’t giving us any information. Our concern is they could be working with human traffickers luring gullible people from Punjab.”
“The day she went missing she was with two other girls from the group. They initially told me that she went missing but later admitted that she had been talking to a couple of people in Sydney and had this plan all along,” Ms Kaur told SBS Punjabi.
A man in Sydney who is originally from the same village in India as Amandeep’s husband, arranged for her ticket from Adelaide to Sydney.
Amandeep's hosts in Australia fear she could unwittingly fall prey to human traffickers. Source: Supplied
“Her husband knows me well and he called me from Dubai to say she was coming to Australia as a student. I even arranged work for her at a restaurant,” the man told SBS Punjabi.
He said when he went to receive her at the Sydney airport, she did not turn.
“I went to the airport but she called me and said that a friend had picked her up,” he said.
Amandeep’s temporary activity visa allowed her to stay in Australia for only a month.
“Her visa is no longer valid and she perhaps doesn’t fully understand the consequences of living in Australia without a valid visa,” says Ms Kaur.
Gurmeet Singh, the group leader, says he hasn’t heard from Amandeep, or her family in India since his return to India.
Ms Kaur has reported Amandeep’s disappearance and visa breach to Department of Home Affairs and South Australia Police.
The Department of Home Affairs said it does not comment on individual cases.
"If a person wishes to remain in Australia beyond the validity of any current visa they should engage with the Department of Home Affairs to resolve their visa status," a Department spokesperson told SBS Punjabi.
"If a person does not hold a valid visa at the time their current visa expires, they are expected to depart Australia," the spokesperson added.
