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In a big blow to human trafficking networks, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday conducted a comprehensive operation at 55 locations across 10 states and Union Territories (UTs) and apprehended 44 operatives in four human trafficking cases.
The counter-terror agency conducted these searches on Wednesday morning in close coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF) and state police forces. Following registration of four human trafficking cases at the NIA branches in Guwahati, Chennai, Bangalore and Jaipur, the anti-terror agency conducted simultaneous and synchronised raids and searches at a total of 55 locations across Tripura, Assam, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Haryana, Rajasthan, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Puducherry. Of the total 44 operatives apprehended and arrested by the NIA, 21 were from Tripura, 10 were from Karnataka, five were from Assam, three were from West Bengal, two were from Tamil Nadu and one each from Puducherry Telangana and Haryana. During the searches, the NIA recovered digital devices, such as mobile phones, SIM cards, and pen drives; a significant number of identity-related documents, including Aadhar cards and PAN cards, suspected to be forged; Indian currency notes with a total value exceeding Rs 20 lakhs; and foreign currency amounting to USD 4550. The operation aimed at dismantling illegal human trafficking support networks involved in the infiltration and settlement of illegal migrants across the Indo-Bangladesh border into India. As per the NIA, the arrested accused individuals will be presented before the respective jurisdictional courts, and further investigations into the activities and modus operandi of these illegal human trafficking networks will continue to dismantle the entire ecosystem of these networks. The initial case dated September 9, 2023, was registered by the Assam Police's Special Task Force (STF) and pertained to a human trafficking network responsible for the infiltration and settlement of illegal migrants across the Indo-Bangladesh border into India, including those of Rohingya origin, said the NIA. "The operations of this network extended into various parts of the country, including regions along the Indo-Bangladesh international border," said the agency. Recognising the international and inter-state linkages of the case and its complexity, the NIA formally took charge of the investigations on October 6 this year by registering a case at the NIA Police Station in Guwahati. NIA investigations in the case revealed that different modules of this illegal human trafficking network were spread over various states, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and operating from there. In response to these investigational findings, the NIA registered three new cases to bust the modules of this extensive network based in different regions and States of the country. (ANI)
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