Police bust human trafficking ring in South Dinajpur

BALURGHAT: The South Dinajpur Police have arrested members of a human trafficking ring involved in illegally facilitating the entry of Bangladeshis into India.

According to police sources, the trafficking was carried out with the assistance of an Indian agent who helped Bangladeshis cross the border. Fake documents were then created for the illegal immigrants, allowing them to settle in various parts of India.

The case unfolded on January 14 when Hili Police arrested a Bangladeshi national identified as Bijli Mondal, alias Ali Mondal, a transgender individual hailing from Sirajganj, Bangladesh. During interrogation, Bijli revealed that she had entered India with the help of an agent named Kush Barman, a resident of Dumran in Hili. After arriving,

Bijli was provided shelter in a secret hideout. Subsequently, an Indian resident named Mizanur Rahman created fake identity documents for her. However, while travelling to another location using these forged documents, Bijli was apprehended by police along with a toto driver, Gautam Mondal.

Acting on the information obtained, police conducted a raid on Wednesday night and arrested Kush Barman, the agent and Mizanur Rahman, who was responsible for forging the documents. Both suspects were presented before a Balurghat court on Thursday, which granted their police custody. Speaking about the incident, Vikram Prasad, DSP Headquarters of Balurghat, said: “After the arrest of a Bangladeshi national on January 14, Hili Police interrogated the individual, leading to the arrest of two key members of the trafficking ring. We have sought police custody of the accused to conduct further interrogations. This will help us uncover how many individuals have been smuggled into the country and identify others involved in the network.”

He added that the investigation is ongoing as the police aim to dismantle the entire trafficking operation.