The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has initiated searches across 10 states as part of an investigation into human trafficking cases. The states under scrutiny include Tripura, Assam, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Haryana, Puducherry, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir. These raids are being carried out at residential premises and other locations connected to suspects in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies.
Multiple teams from the NIA began these raids early on Tuesday, acting on specific information regarding individuals involved in human trafficking. According to NIA sources, the agency’s investigators are conducting searches at more than four dozen locations in these 10 states to uncover a network of human traffickers with international ties.
In a related development, an NIA team from Bengaluru recently arrested a fugitive accused in Tamil Nadu in connection with a Sri Lankan human trafficking case. The accused, identified as Imran Khan, and several others were involved in trafficking Sri Lankan nationals to various locations in Bengaluru and Mangaluru. The NIA had taken over the case due to its international implications and had filed a preliminary charge sheet against five Indian suspects in October 2021: Dhinakaran alias Ayya, Kasi Viswanathan, Rasool, Satham Ushen, and Abdul Muheetu. By the end of October this year, a total of 13 suspects had been charged in the case by the NIA.
The NIA is also investigating other human trafficking cases in which innocent individuals are enticed into trafficking schemes.
(With inputs from ANI)
