Like thousands of migrant workers, Mir Hussein Wahab, aged 29, from Lahore, Pakistan, is a victim of a new phenomenon called jual-beli , a Malay term that describes a human trafficking racket that rakes in millions of dollars for international syndicates.

Literally, jual-beli means 'bought-sold' and is used to refer to the daily trading of goods in the local market.

In recent months, migrant workers have been persuaded to part with hard cash to enter the country only to learn that they had been duped and left stranded without jobs, money or assistance from their sponsors or authorities.