NIA arrests 12 accused in international human trafficking case

Hyderabad: The National Investigation Agency filed a charge sheet against 12 accused, including nine Bangladeshi nationals, in connection with a human trafficking case at the NIA Special Court at Hyderabad on October 17.

The NIA has filed the charge sheet against Ruhul Amin Dhali resident of West Bengal, along with Shareeful Shaik, Asad Hasan, both residents of Maharashtra, apart from nine Bangladeshi nationals, one of whom Abdul Barik Shaik is currently absconding.

The case regarding the same was initially registered at Pahadishareef Police Station, Hyderabad on September 21, 2019, following the arrest of 10 human traffickers by Police from two brothels at Jalpally village, Balapur, RangaReddy District and Mahmood colony, Balapur, in Hyderabad.

The police team had rescued four Bangladeshi girls from the brothels and seized several digital devices, fake Indian identity documents and other incriminating material in the operation.

Further investigation by NIA established that the arrested accused were associates of Ruhul Amin Dhali and Abdul Barik Shaik who illegally trafficked young girls from Bangladesh to India and vice versa.

Dhali was already arrested by NIA, in connection with another case, on December 12, 2019.

Investigations also revealed that there were money transfers between Dhali and Shaikh as commission paid for trafficking across the borders.

The traffickers had illegally entered India in the 1980s and established a prostitution racket along with Yusuf Khan and Bithi Begum (husband and wife), other accused named in the charge sheet, in various parts of India.

The 12 accused hatched a criminal conspiracy along with their associates in Bangladesh to look for young Bangladeshi girls in the age-group of 19-25 yrs and traffick them to India by crossing Sonai River and via Kolkata and then take them to various destinations in India including Mumbai and Hyderabad.

These girls are lured with the promise of lucrative jobs and better quality of life in India. They are also provided fake Indian identity documents and are eventually forced into prostitution.

The rescued girls are presently at shelter homes in Hyderabad.

Further investigation is underway.