An Uzbek woman who had been wanted internationally for a long time on suspicion of human trafficking has been arrested in Türkiye's Istanbul city.

The Uzbek citizen, 45, was detained in an operation carried out with the cooperation of law enforcement agencies from Uzbekistan and Türkiye, according to UzDaily.

The woman, identified as N. E., was wanted under Article 135, Part 3 of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code, which covers human trafficking offenses.

Investigators suspect that she recruited young women by promising them well-paid jobs abroad and subsequently arranged for them to be taken to Türkiye.

According to case materials, the victims had their passports confiscated after arriving in Türkiye and were subjected to exploitation.

The arrest followed operational measures conducted in cooperation with Turkish law enforcement agencies. After her whereabouts were established, N. E. was detained in Istanbul.

The suspect was subsequently handed over to the competent authorities in Uzbekistan in accordance with established procedures. Investigative and other procedural actions are currently continuing.