NIA arrests key conspirator, wife in cross-border human trafficking racket

Hyderabad: In a major breakthrough, the sleuths of National Investigating Agency, have arrested the key conspirator Justin alias Abdul Salam,47, In the cross border human-trafficking racket being operated from Hyderabad. The case was registered by the NIA Hyderabad unit in September 2019, after Chatrinaka police of busted the racket in April 2019 . The case was transferred to Central Crime Station for further investigation.

Justin's wife Shivuli Khatoon, a Bangladeshi national was also arrested along with him on Saturday. Shivuli who illegally crossed into India during 2012, was actively assisting her husband in running brothels in Hyderabad and other parts of the country and also facilitating cross border human trafficking from Bangladesh. During searches at her house, a woman who was hiding in a improvised hideout was rescued. A total of three women, all Bangladeshi nationals who were trafficked by the couple a few months ago, were rescued during the operation.

It is to note, this is the first first human trafficking and exploitation case registered by the NIA, under the recently-amended NIA Act. Sleuths have arrested Bangladeshi Nationals, Md Yousuf Khan alias Md. Imran Shaik, Bithi Begum alias Khadija Shaik and Sojib Shaik, and an Indian national, Ruhul Amin Dhalli.

'The Case relates to immoral trafficking of persons from Bangladesh to various cities in India including Hyderabad for sexual exploitation. Investigation has revealed that the accused Justin along with his associates conspired in bringing girls illegally from Bangladesh through a well organised network of agents in Bangladesh and India, for engaging them in prostitution racket, and was involved in running brothels at various places in Hyderabad and other parts of India' NIA said in a statement.

Earlier, three Bangladeshi nationals were arrested and Chargesheet against them was filed in March 2020. Based on the clues , NIA teams conducted searches at Justin’s ancestral home and his rented house. Searches resulted in confiscating incriminating documents. Two young women were also rescued from accused Justin’s house during searches. Inquiries revealed that the two were illegally trafficked into India from Bangladesh for sexual exploitation.