44 arrested in 10 states in NIA raids against 4 illegal human trafficking cases

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday conducted searches in ten states and detained 44 individuals in connection with four human trafficking cases in an effort to eradicate the illegal practice.

According to an NIA spokesperson present, since Wednesday morning, the NIA has been conducting a thorough operation throughout several states in close collaboration with the Border Security Force (BSF) and state police forces.

The official said that 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.

The official said that following registration of four Human trafficking cases at the NIA branches in Guwahati, Chennai, Bangalore, Jaipur, simultaneous and synchronised raids and searches were carried out at a total of 55 locations across the following States and union territories -- Tripura, Assam, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Haryana, Rajasthan, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry.

The official said that the initial case was registered on September 9 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.

The operations of this network extended into various parts of the country, including regions along the Indo-Bangladesh international border.

"Recognising the international and inter-state linkages of the case and its complexity, the NIA formally took charge of the investigations on October 6 by registering a case at the NIA Police Station in Guwahati," the official said.

The official said that its probe revealed that different modules of this illegal Human Trafficking network were spread over various states, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Haryana and 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," the official said.

The official further said that coordinated raids were executed in the early morning hours of Wednesday as part of the ongoing operation. During the searches, the NIA recovered various items of significance, including 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 $4550.

The official also said that after today’s operations, a total of 44 operatives have been arrested by the NIA. The NIA arrested 21 from Tripura, 10 from Karnataka, five from Assam, three from West Bengal, two from Tamil Nadu and one each from Puducherry, Telangana and Haryana respectively.

With inputs from IANS