Counter-terrorism agency NIA arrests accused of trafficking Rohingyas to India

New Delhi:

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested a wanted accused involved in smuggling Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas to India via the northeast borders.

Jalil Miah, a resident of Tripura, was arrested by the NIA team, an official statement said.

The NIA had in February declared a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to the arrest of Jalil, who was on the run in the case, besides nine others.

According to NIA investigations, a large number of Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas are trafficked to India every month through the porous areas of the India-Bangladesh border.

They are then transported to different parts of the country with fake documents and forced to work, according to the statement issued by the investigating agency.

“In another success in its fight against human traffickers operating across the country, the NIA on Tuesday arrested a key conspirator in a case relating to the smuggling of Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas across the northern borders -is,” he said.

Thirty-three people were arrested earlier in this case, which the NIA had taken over from the Assam Special Task Force (STF) which had initially registered an FIR on March 22, 2023, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Passport Act of 1967.

The NIA has so far indicted 24 accused.

Investigations revealed that Jalil was one of the main conspirators in human trafficking and a close associate of accused Jiban Rudra Pal alias Jibon alias Suman.

He was also closely associated with two other fugitives, Juj Miah and Shanto, all from Tripura, the NIA said.

Although Jalil managed to escape during the initial operation on November 8, 2023, during which 29 accused were arrested, the NIA said, adding that electronic devices and other incriminating documents seized from his house had exposed highlight his complicity.

The pan-India searches conducted by the NIA in November 2023 led to the seizure of a lot of incriminating data, including digital devices, as well as foreign currencies (Bangladeshi taka and US dollar), Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, etc.

A subsequent crackdown on December 29 last year led to the arrest of four more accused in the case, revealing a vast network of human traffickers, the NIA said.

“The manhunt for the other fugitives continues and investigations are underway to connect the missing links of this elaborate racket,” he added.

In related news, the NIA on Monday carried out a coordinated operation with state police forces and central intelligence agencies at all locations as part of its investigation into an international human trafficking case human and cyber fraud.

Five accused were arrested by the state police during the searches.

The youths were forced to work in fake call centers in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Laos and Cambodia, among others, as part of this racket, controlled and operated mainly by nationals foreigners.

They were also forced to undertake illegal activities online such as credit card fraud, cryptocurrency investments using fake apps, honey trapping, etc. by the defendants and their other members of the human trafficking syndicate.

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