Rashid surrenders in human trafficking case; passports seized

Hyderabad, May 3 (UNI) Rashid, the prime suspect in the human trafficking racket involving BJP MP from Gujarat Babubhai Katara, today surrendered before the Central Crime Station (CCS) police wing here.

Soon after the alleged passport agent surrendered, the CCS police recovered four passports and other incriminating documents during searches in the houses of his relatives after intense questioning.

However, the police declined to divulge details relating to the seized passports.

Maintaining that he is ''innocent'', Rashid before his surrender claimed that he was 'fixed' and had only carried out the task given to him.

In a fresh development in the fake passport case, the CCS police registered a case against another TRS MLA S Bapu Rao, absconding since the scam came to light. He is the second TRS MLA to be booked in connection with the passport fraud.

A rebel TRS MLA, K Lingaiah, was now in police custody, facing charge that he had obtained passport for a woman from Gujarat in the name of his wife.

The CCS police also launched investigation to trace the involvement of travel agencies in the human trafficking racket.

Rashid, who runs a travel agency in the city, had close links with several noted travel agencies from which he used to reserve air tickets for MPs, MLAs and officials.

Ever since the human trafficking scam came to light with the arrest of Katara at Delhi international airport on April 18, reports have been doing the rounds suggesting that Rashid was a crucial player in forging passports and that he had contacts with several politicians.

The scam had already set off political tremors in the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, leading to the suspension of its senior MP and second-in-command A Narendra following his alleged involvement.

UNI