A major human trafficking ring was busted in Siliguri, northern West Bengal on Monday. Consequently, the officials rescued five Bangladeshi women and arrested three individuals. The Special Operations Group (SOG) of Siliguri Metro Police received a tip-off, leading to the interception of the group near the New Jalpaiguri railway station late on Sunday night.
The three arrested individuals, who are Indian nationals, had embarked on their journey from Dhaka along with the five women on Saturday. They crossed the international border in the Domohona area of Uttar Dinajpur district and arrived in Siliguri.
According to the police, the modus operandi of the three accused involved trafficking women from Bangladesh and providing them with fake Indian documents. They would then smuggle these women to various locations within the country and abroad.
Currently, the authorities are interrogating the accused to gather more information, and they are also investigating any potential connections to larger international trafficking networks.
Last month, Bangladesh nationals, including two women, were sent to prison for their illegal entry into India. Simultaneously, the police initiated an investigation into their suspected involvement in an international human trafficking racket.
Railway police apprehended the accused while they were travelling on the Agartala-Bengaluru Humsafar Express at Dharmanagar station in North Tripura. The individuals identified as Shafiqul Islam (40), Mohammad Rafiq (27), Mumtaz Akhtar (18), Rozina Begum (35), and Shahab Ali Sheikh (61) were taken into custody.
According to the officials, these individuals entered India via Amtali in Bangladesh, facilitated by a broker. The accused disclosed that they had each paid Rs 20,000 to the broker to assist them in crossing the border.
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