Bengaluru has become a hotspot for a human trafficking network operating across state borders. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) uncovered a harrowing tale of exploitation and deceit as Bangladeshi nationals, enticed with promises of legitimate employment and proper documentation, were illegally trafficked into India under false pretenses.
Victims of this nefarious scheme recounted their ordeal before the NIA, revealing a grim reality of forced labor and coercion. They disclosed being subjected to grueling work at a waste-segregation facility owned by Suman Shaikh Zakir, also known as Saudi Zakir, an infiltrator from Bangladesh, located in the bustling Bellandur area of Bengaluru.
According to testimonies provided to the NIA, victims were paid meager wages ranging from Rs 7,000 to Rs 9,000 per month. A significant portion of their earnings—Rs 3,500 per person—was siphoned off for accommodation within the confines of the facility where they were unlawfully detained.
The NIA’s investigation, culminating in a comprehensive chargesheet presented before the Special Court, sheds light on the intricate web of human trafficking spanning multiple states. Entities based in Karnataka, with intricate ties to facilitators and traffickers in Assam, Tripura, and Bangladesh, form the core of this transnational criminal network.
The chargesheet encompasses a range of offenses under the Indian Penal Code, Foreigners Act, and Passport (Entry into India) Act and Rules.
Among the twelve individuals indicted in the chargesheet are key figures such as Suman Shaikh Zakir, Firdoush, Muhammed Oli Ullah, Amol Chandra, Masud Sarder, Md Sohag Gazi, SK Md Bellal, Md Mirazul, Zakir Khan, Md Badal Houladar, Md Kabir, and Md Bachchu Gharami.
