Guwahati: The apprehension of five Bangladeshi individuals, including a minor, in Meghalaya’s Nongpoh on February 14 has exposed a human trafficking ring with roots in Mumbai.
According to police in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi district, this network not only facilitated the illegal entry of Bangladeshis but also engaged in the creation of counterfeit documents, such as Aadhaar and PAN cards, and banking fraud.
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Officials stated that the five individuals were intercepted at a checkpoint in Nongpoh, the administrative center of Ri-Bhoi district situated roughly midway between Guwahati and Shillong, as they were attempting to return to Bangladesh.
They were among over 20 Bangladeshi nationals apprehended in the district in recent months.
Initial questioning revealed that some of these individuals had traveled to Mumbai to acquire fraudulent Indian identification documents, including Aadhaar and PAN cards, through a Mumbai-based operative named Shaikh Mohammed Mujib, who resides in the Sewri area.
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Mujib allegedly orchestrated the creation of forged documents using fabricated address proofs and employed intermediaries to smuggle people across the India-Bangladesh border via strategic locations in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and West Bengal.
Further investigation led to the arrest of Nusrat A. Kazi and Jabir Yunus Shaikh in Kopar Khairane and Ulwe in Navi Mumbai.
Police reported that these individuals utilized the fake Indian identities of Bangladeshi nationals to open bank accounts for loan fraud and cybercrime. Mujib was subsequently apprehended on Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg in southern Mumbai.
“Our team collaborated with the Mumbai police to dismantle this criminal network operating in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai,” Vivekanand Singh Rathore, the Senior Superintendent of Police for Ri-Bhoi, told a newspaper on Monday.
He added that a Special Investigation Team, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Ashu Pant, conducted week-long raids in Navi Mumbai with crucial support from Navi Mumbai Commissioner of Police Milind Bharambe.
“This was the culmination of a series of cases involving Bangladeshi nationals who were caught after entering India and while attempting to return. While they were apprehended within our jurisdiction, they are beneficiaries of a significant network that facilitates their entry from various points along the India-Bangladesh border at different times,” Rathore explained.
Police suspect that the arrested individuals based in Maharashtra may be part of a larger, well-organized network with operations extending across India, particularly in the more industrialized western regions.
Authorities stated that efforts are underway to repatriate the arrested Bangladeshi nationals to their country following the completion of the necessary legal procedures.