NIA raids 10 states in human trafficking cases

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted search operations in 10 states related to human trafficking cases on Wednesday. The states where these searches took place include Tripura, Assam, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Haryana, Puducherry, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir. The NIA carried out these raids at the residences and other locations of individuals connected to these cases, working closely with state police forces.

These operations were initiated by multiple NIA teams based on specific information about suspects involved in human trafficking. The NIA sources indicated that the agency is conducting searches at over four dozen locations across these 10 states to uncover the networks of human traffickers with international links.

Last month, a team of NIA from Bengaluru apprehended a fugitive accused in a Sri Lankan human trafficking case in Tamil Nadu. The accused, identified as Imran Khan was involved, along with others, in trafficking Sri Lankan nationals to various places in Bengaluru and Mangaluru. Given the international aspects of the case, the NIA had taken over from the local police. In October 2021, the NIA filed an initial charge sheet against five Indian suspects in this case. By the end of October this year, a total of 13 individuals had been implicated in the case by the NIA.

The NIA is also probing various other human trafficking cases, where victims are deceived by traffickers through false promises, including opportunities for legal emigration to Canada, job prospects, and other purposes.