Bengaluru, April 8 – A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has convicted and sentenced four Bangladeshi nationals in a transnational human trafficking case, the agency said in a statement on Wednesday.
The NIA Special Court in Bengaluru sentenced Zakir Khan, Badal Houladar, Kabir Talukdar, and Mohammed Bachchu Gharami to three years of rigorous imprisonment.
The court also imposed a fine of ₹20,000 on each of them, with an additional one month of imprisonment if they fail to pay the fine under the provisions of the Foreigners Act and the Passports (Entry into India) Act.
According to the investigation, the accused had illegally entered India from Bangladesh through border points including Benapole, Jashore, and Akhaura. They subsequently obtained Indian identity documents fraudulently and were involved in a waste-segregation business on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
The investigation further revealed that the accused employed other trafficked Bangladeshi nationals in their operations. They had also leased land in Bengaluru and constructed sheds to house the trafficked victims.
The NIA registered the case suo motu in November 2023 after the agency busted a cross-border human trafficking network based on intelligence inputs and sustained surveillance.
During the investigation, the agency conducted extensive searches nationwide, resulting in the arrest of 12 accused. Officials seized Bangladeshi identity documents, digital devices, forged Indian identity papers, and Indian currency from those arrested.
The NIA had filed a chargesheet against the accused in February 2024 and subsequently arrested two more individuals in May 2024.
Officials said further investigation is ongoing, with a focus on dismantling the larger cross-border trafficking network and ensuring that all those involved in the crime are brought to justice.