The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted a series of early morning raids in Tripura and multiple other regions across India on Wednesday.
The primary objective of this operation was to disrupt illegal human trafficking networks operating in the country, with a particular focus on individuals facilitating the migration of Rohingya Muslims from Bangladesh and their subsequent settlement in various Indian states.
In addition to Tripura, the NIA, in collaboration with the Border Security Force (BSF) and local law enforcement agencies, executed similar operations in Assam, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Haryana, Rajasthan, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry. These coordinated efforts led to the apprehension of 44 individuals in total.
In Tripura, the NIA initially detained 25 individuals, subsequently arresting 21 of them.
The searches conducted during these raids yielded a significant haul of digital devices, including mobile phones, SIM cards, and pen drives, a substantial number of identity-related documents, such as Aadhar cards and PAN cards suspected to be forged, as well as Indian currency amounting to over Rs 20 lakhs and foreign currency totaling $4550.
An NIA official in Delhi stressed the comprehensive nature of this operation, highlighting the close cooperation with the Border Security Force and state police forces.
This operation was initiated in response to an initial case filed by Assam Police’s Special Task Force (STF) on September 9, pertaining to a human trafficking network responsible for the illegal entry and settlement of migrants from the Indo-Bangladesh border into India, including Rohingya refugees.
The NIA officially assumed control of the investigations on October 6, recognizing the international and interstate aspects of the case’s complexity. The investigation uncovered multiple modules of this human trafficking network operating in various states, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Jammu and Kashmir.
In light of these findings, the NIA registered three new cases to target and dismantle the various modules of this extensive network operating in diverse regions and states across the country.
The early morning coordinated raids on Wednesday resulted in the arrest of 44 individuals. Specifically, the NIA arrested 21 individuals from Tripura, 10 from Karnataka, five from Assam, three from West Bengal, two from Tamil Nadu, and one each from Puducherry, Telangana, and Haryana.