Human trafficking of Bangladeshi girls: Hyderabad NIA Court awards life imprisonment to six

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], November 7 (ANI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court in Hyderabad has convicted and sentenced all six accused to life imprisonment in a 2019 human trafficking case involving Bangladeshi girls forced into prostitution after being smuggled into India, as per an official release.
The accused, identified as Mohammed Yousuf Khan, his wife Bithi Begum, Sojib, Ruhul Amin Dhali, Mohammed Abdul Salam alias Kounla Justin, and Sheela Justin alias Shiuli Khatun, were found guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act, 1986, the NIA stated.
Of the six accused, Dhali was arrested in West Bengal, while the others were apprehended in Telangana between 2019 and 2020.
In its ruling on 6th November 2024, the special court sentenced all six accused to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 24,000 each. In case of default, the accused will serve an additional 18 months of simple imprisonment.
NIA investigations revealed that the accused had lured Bangladeshi girls with promises of well-paying jobs and trafficked them into India, where they were subsequently forced into prostitution.
The original case was registered by Telangana police at Chatrinaka police station after five girls were rescued from a house in the Kandikal Gate area of Uppuguda, Hyderabad, during an operation in August 2019.
The NIA took over the investigation, re-registering the case on 17th September 2019. The agency filed a chargesheet against four of the accused on 10th March 2020, followed by a supplementary chargesheet against the remaining two in August 2020. (ANI)