44 held in nationwide NIA crackdown on illegal immigrants, including Rohingyas; five modules busted

The raids were conducted in coordination with the Border Security Force and state police forces at 55 locations in eight states and two union territories to dismantle human trafficking support networks involved in the infiltration and settlement of illegal migrants across the Indo-Bangladesh border, a spokesperson of the NIA said.

New Delhi/Assam: In a nationwide crackdown aimed at dismantling illegal settlers and support networks in several states, including in disputed Jammu and Kashmir, the NIA arrested 44 people on Wednesday.

A spokesman for the National Investigation Agency said synchronized raids and searches were carried out at 55 locations following a case registered by police in Assam which “pertained to a human trafficking network responsible for the infiltration and settlement of illegal migrants across the Indo-Bangladesh border into India, including those of Rohingya origin.”

Special Director General of Assam Police Harmeet Singh at a press conference held in Guwahati gave details of the raid. "Assam Police launched drive against illegal Rohingyas in February. Karimganj police sent back a 450-member team of Rohingyas, who tried to enter India via Tripura from Bangladesh and try to reach different places. Following this, 10 brokers who were illegally transported Rohingyas to different parts of India were arrested in an operation conducted by the STF on July 6," Singh said on Wednesday.

Searches were carried out in the states of Tripura, Assam, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Haryana and Rajasthan, as well as the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry.

A spokesman for the National Investigation Agency said synchronized raids and searches were carried out at 55 locations following a case registered by police in northeastern Assam state which “pertained to a human trafficking network responsible for the infiltration and settlement of illegal migrants across the Indo-Bangladesh border into India, including those of Rohingya origin.”

Searches were carried out in the states of Tripura, Assam, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Haryana and Rajasthan, as well as the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry.Five modules engaged in human trafficking were busted and 44 operatives arrested as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out nationwide raids on Wednesday, an official said. The raids were conducted in coordination with the Border Security Force and state police forces at 55 locations in eight states and two union territories to dismantle human trafficking support networks involved in the infiltration and settlement of illegal migrants across the Indo-Bangladesh border, a spokesperson of the NIA said.

The official said the searches were carried out in Tripura, Assam, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Haryana, Rajasthan and the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry, dealing a big blow to the human trafficking networks. Of the 44 operatives arrested, 21 were in Tripura, followed by 10 in Karnataka, five in Assam, three in West Bengal, two in Tamil Nadu, and one each in Puducherry, Telangana and Haryana, the spokesperson said.

Official sources said a couple of more people, including a Rohingya Muslim from Myanmar identified as Zaffar Alam, were detained during the raids in Jammu and Samba districts. The NIA said the coordinated raids were executed across the country early Wednesday, leading to the recovery of various items of significance including digital devices, identity-related documents including Aadhaar and PAN cards (suspected to be forged), more than Rs 20 lakh in cash and foreign currency amounting to USD 4,550.

The simultaneous and synchronised raids and searches were carried out following the registration of four human trafficking cases in Guwahati, Chennai, Bengaluru and Jaipur, the spokesperson said. The official said the initial case was registered on September 9 by the Assam Police's Special Task Force (STF) and pertained to a human trafficking network responsible for the infiltration and settlement of illegal migrants across the Indo-Bangladesh border, including those of Rohingya origin.

The operations of this network extended into various parts of the country, the spokesperson said, adding recognising the international and inter-state linkages of the case and its complexity, the NIA formally took charge of the investigations on October 6. The official said the investigations in the case revealed that different modules of this illegal human trafficking network were spread over various states, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.

Based on these findings, the NIA registered three new cases to bust the modules of this extensive network based in different regions and states of the country, the official said. Further investigations into the activities and modus operandi of these illegal human trafficking networks would continue to dismantle the entire ecosystem, the spokesperson said.