Makassar. South Sulawesi Police uncovered a human trafficking operation involving 77 university students from Makassar who were lured to Germany to participate in a holiday work program known as "ferienjob."

The Directorate of General Crimes at the South Sulawesi Police revealed that the students were promised jobs aligned with their fields of study. However, upon arriving in Germany, they were forced into menial labor.

“‘Ferienjob’ is an official program in Germany that offers temporary work to university students during holidays in October, November, and December. However, this program was misused by certain companies and universities in Makassar to exploit students,” said South Sulawesi Police Director of General Crimes, Jamaluddin Farti on Friday.

 Authorities have identified individuals from the implicated company and partnering universities suspected of orchestrating the trafficking.

“These students were promised internships aligned with their studies and 20 academic credits (SKS). Instead, they were subjected to hard labor. The promises were never fulfilled,” Jamaluddin explained.

The case has progressed to an investigative stage, and police plan to name suspects soon. “So far, we are investigating three to four individuals from the university and company involved,” Jamaluddin said.

This is not the first time Indonesian authorities have uncovered trafficking under the guise of internships. In June, Indonesia's National Police (Polri) arrested Enyk Waldkoenig, 39, for her role in trafficking 1,047 students from 33 universities, including the State University of Jakarta and Atma Jaya Catholic University.

Investigations revealed that most victims, many studying electrical engineering, were forced into physically demanding jobs as manual laborers.

Authorities are urging students and universities to exercise caution regarding overseas work programs and ensure the legitimacy of such opportunities to prevent exploitation.