NBI rescues 40 human trafficking victims locked up in Manila apartment

This photo shows some of the 40 individuals rescued by the National Bureau of Investigation during a raid on Wednesday, May 23, 2018, in San Andres Bukid, Manila. The 40 individuals, among them seven minors, were found locked up at an apartment. Most of them came from Mindanao and were supposedly bound for the Middle East. INQUIRER.net / Tetch Torres-Tupas

More than 40 human trafficking victims have been rescued by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Manila.

The NBI said the Middle East-bound victims were found locked up at an apartment in San Andres, Bukid on Wednesday morning.

Of the 40 rescued individuals, seven were minors, it said, adding that most of the victims were from Mindanao, specifically Maguindanao and South Cotabato.

However, the owner of the apartment was not there during the rescue operation, the NBI said.

The NBI acted on  a tip from a 17-year old girl bound for Saudi Arabia, who was stopped by airport authorities because of her questionable travel documents.

The NBI is conducting follow-up operations in a bid to arrest the owner of the apartment.  /kga