JOHOR BARU: Seven Malaysian women, who claimed they were duped into becoming drug mules, are languishing in Pakistani jails.

One of them is serving a three-year jail sentence while the rest are waiting to be charged in court.

The women, in the early 20s and late 30s, claimed they were deceived by men they befriended on the Internet.

The woman serving a three-year jail sentence had been found guilty of attempting to smuggle heroin out of Pakistan in a hidden compartment in one of her bags at Islamabad airport in 2006.

The woman denied any knowledge of the substances and claimed that a man she befriended on the Internet had asked her to bring the bag for his friend in Malaysia.
Four of the seven women were caught last year while two other were detained on April 30 this year after they were found with 4kg of high-grade raw heroin worth about RM1.5 million at Karachi airport.

The heroin was found in a hidden compartment in their luggage. The women claimed that the bag was given to them by their Pakistani friend. If found guilty, the two women, aged 24 and 30, may be sentenced to death.

The Pakistan daily, Jang Karachi in a report on May 9, said the two women had claimed that they had befriended an African man on the Internet in 2006.

During their online chat sessions, the African introduced them to a Pakistani in Kuala Lumpur.

The man took them to fancy places and managed to gain their trust. They accepted his invitation to visit him in Pakistan. The man paid for their air tickets and met them at the airport on their arrival.

The women were treated to a shopping spree. They also dined at exclusive restaurants and stayed at a five-star hotel.

At the end of their holiday in Pakistan, the man drove them to Karachi airport and handed them two more bags.

One of the bags contained gifts and souvenirs for the two women, while the other bag was supposedly filled with gifts for his friend, who would meet the women at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on their arrival.

Both women claimed they were shocked when airport security officers found the heroin in a hidden compartment in the bag.

The women's calls to the Pakistani man went unanswered and they also could not contact their African friend.

A Malaysian diplomat in Pakistan confirmed that the seven women were in jail.

"Our investigations revealed that these women were duped into coming to Pakistan by men they befriended on the Internet.

"There have also been cases where the women were offered jobs with high salaries. Some of the women also claimed that they had won an all-expense paid holiday to Pakistan while others were lured with offers to develop their business in the country."

The seven women in police custody comprise two Indians, three Malays, a Chinese and a Sarawakian.