Bengal, Hyderabad, Bangladesh: NIA registers its first human trafficking case under amended law

New Delhi, Sep 18: The National Investigation Agency has registered its first human tracing case under the amended NIA Act.

The case relates to the arrest of 3 persons namely Yousuf Khan, Bithi Begum and Sajid, all natives of West Bengal. The NIA said that all the three persons are currently staying in Hyderabad.

They were booked under the provisions of the Prevention of Immoral Traffic Act for their involvement in illegal trafficking of Bangladeshi women to Hyderabad and their sexual exploitation.

Five such women were rescued from the spot by the police party. The case was transferred to the NIA on August 9 2019. Khan and Both Begum were running a prostitution racket with women trafficked from Bangladesh at a premises near Kandikal gate, Baji Nagar, Uppuguda, Hyderabad. Based on credible information, Chatrinaka Police of Hyderabad City had searched the premises and arrested all three accused persons.

Considering the gravity of the case and the inter-state ramifications, the case was handed over to the NIA.

The amended NIA Act which was recently cleared by Parliament gave the agency more teeth and also allowed it to probe cases of cybercrime and human trafficking.

The amendment to Schedule 4 of the UAPA now allows the NIA to designate an individual suspected to have terrorist links as a terrorist.

The NIA came into existence in 2009 following the Mumbai 26/11 attack. The amendments were under consideration since 2017. The same was proposed to give the agency more teeth and also a wider scope in the wake of fresh challenges emerging.