The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken decisive action against human trafficking by filing charges against 12 Bangladeshi nationals involved in a case that underscores the challenges of infiltration and trafficking across the porous India-Bangladesh border.
Among the accused are individuals such as Mohammed Ferdous Bapari and Muhammed Oli Ullah, who entered India illegally, lacking valid travel documents, and subsequently obtained Indian identity documents through fraudulent means.
The investigation has unveiled that the accused were trafficked through vulnerable border points at Benapole, Jashore near West Bengal, and Akhaura near Tripura, facilitated by touts on both sides of the border. Notably, eight of the accused were found to be engaged in trafficking numerous other Bangladeshi nationals using a similar modus operandi.
The NIA has identified 22 victims who were promised job opportunities and improved livelihoods but instead fell victim to forced labor in Bengaluru, receiving meager wages for their work.
Upon entering the traffickers’ waste segregation godowns in Bengaluru, the victims were reportedly confined and threatened with arrest on charges of being illegal immigrants if they dared to protest.
During searches at the premises of the accused, the NIA seized 61 Aadhaar cards and other fraudulently obtained Indian identity documents, shedding light on the extent of the illegal operation.
Investigations are actively underway to unravel the modus operandi employed to acquire these documents, and efforts to locate the absconding accused are currently in progress.
