An international criminal ring is said to be trafficking Nepali women to Syria, a country which has been plagued by an armed conflict for the past four years that has led to more than 300,000 deaths. The revelation came after news surfaced about Binita Rai who returned from Syrian Capital, Damascus, complaining of abuse from her employers. “We learned that a Nepali agent had received $55,000 from a Syrian agent for delivering him 21 women,” an official from West Asian unit of the Foreign Ministry told the Post. “The Syrian agent had lodged a complaint at the Nepali embassy in Egypt after the women did not reach Syria on time. The identity of the Nepali agent has not yet been revealed.” Authorities are preparing to inform the Nepali embassy at New Delhi on the matter as the Nepali agent is believed to be in the Indian capital. About 200 Nepali women are still working in Syria as housemaids. “Apart from the 21 women, we have detailed information on 50 others,” a Foreign Ministry official, who was once stationed at Cairo, said. The Nepali embassy in Cairo looks after diplomatic issues of Syria. Chief joint-secretary of the West Asian unit of the Foreign Ministry Ramesh Prasad Khanal said: “We immediately respond after receiving evidence of Nepali citizens in trouble anywhere around the world.” But the Nepali embassy in Cairo has been taking help from Damascus-based Indian commercial embassy to rescue people. Generally, Syrians pay $7,000 to the local agent for employing a Nepali woman as housemaid on a two-year contract. An official said that they are having difficulties to return the women home as their employers want their money paid back. There has been previous information on another ring trafficking women to Syria for $2,500 per person through New Delhi. Media has reported that women are being trafficked through Dhaka, Dubai and Colombo these days after lots of arrests were made at New Delhi transit last month. Meanwhile, the situation in Lebanon is equally pathetic. Forty-five women who had been illegally working in the country for the past seven years are now taking shelter at Beirut-based offices of Caritas and IOM. President of local Non-resident Nepali Association Devimaya Limbu said that the process to send the women home is in its final stages. The Lebanese government has waived all fines on overstay and working without permit. Their return has been delayed as one of the women is eight-months pregnant.