NIA arrests 2 Bangladeshi nationals from Karnataka in human trafficking case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two Bangladeshi nationals from Karnataka in a case related to human trafficking, an official said.

Mohammed Sajjid Haldar and Idris, who had been on the run, were tracked and nabbed on Thursday night with the assistance of the Internal Security Division of Karnataka, taking the total arrests in the case to 14, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.

The NIA, which had busted the racket in November 2023 following nationwide raids, found during investigations that Haldar and Idris had illegally crossed into India via Benapole at the Indo-Bangladesh border.

Haldar had set up a waste collection and segregation unit at K Chanasandra in Rama Murthi Nagar in Bengaluru, and had employed other Bangladeshi nationals in his operations, the official said.

The investigations revealed that Idris had also set up a waste collection and segregation unit at Anadapura in Bengaluru, where he had leased out land and set up tents for more than 20 Bangladeshi families, who were suspected to have been trafficked by him.

Investigations to corroborate these details are continuing, the spokesperson said.

The NIA had registered the case on November 7 last year, after receiving credible inputs about certain Karnataka-based persons having linkages with facilitators and traffickers in Assam, Tripura and countries across the border.

According to the NIA, the linkages had exposed a large network of traffickers engaged in smuggling individuals into India through the Indo-Bangladesh border.

The accused were also found involved in providing fake Aadhaar cards to the victims.

The NIA, which had earlier arrested and charge-sheeted 12 Bangladeshi nationals in the case, is continuing to crack down on traffickers active along the Indo-Bangladesh border, the official said.