The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge-sheet against three Myanmar nationals in a major international human trafficking case allegedly involving illegal trafficking and infiltration of foreign nationals, primarily of Rohingya origin, into India across the India-Bangladesh border.
The accused have been identified as Rabi Islam alias Rabiul Islam; Shafi Alam alias Sofi Alom, and Mohammad Usman. They are all permanent residents of Myanmar’s Maungdaw district, the agency said.
According to the NIA, the three had illegally entered India, in collusion with traffickers and touts, without any valid travel document. They were also involved in facilitating the infiltration of numerous other foreign nationals through unauthorised and illegal border routes, the charge-sheet said.
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The accused were part of a well-organised network of traffickers and touts involved in various illegal activities. “...they were also engaged in luring vulnerable Rohingya women, who had taken refuge in Bangladesh, into India on the false promises of marriage to Rohingya men. Such women were then sold for forced marriages across various Indian States, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana, Haryana, etc.,” the charge-sheet said.
The NIA also detected instances and evidence of forgery of documents, and established that Rabi Islam and Mohammad Usman had allegedly obtained Aadhaar cards fraudulently. “The duo had also used these cards to procure multiple SIM cards and open bank accounts, further concealing their true identities,” the agency said.
The NIA started probing the case on November 7, 2023.
