INDIA. Mumbai: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted 55 raids in eight states and two union territories and apprehended 44 accused in four human trafficking cases with the aim of dismantling the infiltration and illegal settlement of immigrants across the Indo-Bangladesh border on Wednesday.
Four cases were registered in Guwahati, Chennai, Bangalore, and Jaipur after the raids were conducted in Tripura, Assam, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Haryana, Puducherry, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir, the NIA statement read.
The 44 arrested included Tripura-21, Karnataka-10, Assam-05, West Bengal-03, Tamil Nadu-02, and Puducherry, Telangana, and Haryana—one each.
The NIA registered three new cases to bust the module of extensive networks based in different states. Indian currency exceeding Rs 29 lakh, foreign currency worth 4550 USD, pen drives, SIM cards, and PAN cards were seized.
Initial case No. 12/2023 was registered by Assam police’s Special Task Force on September 9 against illegal immigrants, including those of Rohingya origin, entering India from Indo-Bangladesh. It was re-registered as RC 01/2023/NIA.Guv on October 6 at the NIA police station in Guwahati.
During the raid in Jammu and Kashmir, one Zaffar Alam, a Rohingya Muslim from Myanmar, was nabbed from the Bathindi area. These raids were conducted in the slum areas where Myanmar immigrants reside. The raids were carried out in a case involving violations of the Passports Act and human trafficking. Last year, the NIA investigated the trafficking of Rohingyas and Bangladeshi Muslims into Indian territory, settling them here with forged documents.
In another case, STF, Meerut (Uttar Pradesh), and the NIA Delhi team sealed the house of one Tahsim, located at Shamli Janpad (Uttar Pradesh), on Wednesday. Tahsim, who is absconding, is stated to be the brother of ISI agent Kalim, who was released from Pakistani jail on August 15. He was arrested on charges of smuggling weapons. After he was deported to India, based on fresh inputs, Kalim was arrested by Indian authorities.
Narco smuggling
In yet another case, the NIA conducted searches in Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh in a narcotics seizure case on Tuesday. The raids were carried out at the residences and offices of individuals involved in the case and recovered incriminating materials, including documents and digital devices.
The development pertained to the seizure of a substantial quantity of narcotics upon its arrival in India through the Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Attari, Amritsar, on April 24, 2022. The case was first registered at the ICP in Attari by customs officials, and it was re-registered as the case (RC-35/2022/NIA/DLI) on July 30, 2022, by the NIA. On the completion of its initial investigations, the NIA filed a comprehensive chargesheet against four suspects: Razi Haider Zaidi, Shahid Ahmed, Nazir Ahmad Qani (an Afghan national), and Vipin Mittal on December 16, 2022.
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