Correspondent
Agartala, August 28, 2023: In a recent development, the railway police in Agartala apprehended six individuals, among them five young Rohingya women, at the Dharmanagar railway station on Monday afternoon. The suspects are believed to be part of a human trafficking network.
According to the authorities, these individuals were caught attempting to transport the Rohingya women from Bangladesh to Delhi, with intentions to sell them to foreign buyers at exorbitant prices. Acting on a tip-off, the police approached the suspects on platform No. 1 of the station around 3 PM. Requested to present their identification documents, the accused were unable to provide valid proof of Indian citizenship. Consequently, they were taken into custody and transferred to the GRP police station for further questioning.
Investigations revealed that the accused, who are Rohingya immigrants, had illicitly entered India through Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, where they resided in refugee camps. The primary suspect, identified as Jamal Hossain (36), had previously migrated to Delhi from the Kutupalong camp in 2017 and worked there temporarily. Subsequently, he returned to Bangladesh six months ago and convinced five young women, aged between 18 and 19, to accompany him by offering false assurances of lucrative employment opportunities. The group entered India via the Tripura border and intended to journey to Delhi via train.
The police shed light on the unfortunate reality that Tripura has become a hotspot for intra-state human trafficking activities. Numerous such operations are known to flourish within the region. Law enforcement authorities have expressed their commitment to taking stringent actions against the culprits involved in such heinous crimes and to actively thwart future occurrences of this nature.
Authorities plan to transfer the detained individuals to the Dharmanagar police station, where they will be charged under relevant legal provisions. After the completion of necessary legal formalities, it is anticipated that more comprehensive details will emerge from the Dharmanagar police station's investigation.
This incident underscores the ongoing need for vigilant efforts to combat human trafficking and protect vulnerable individuals from falling victim to such schemes. The law enforcement agencies, along with other relevant stakeholders, are poised to work together to prevent such crimes and ensure the safety and security of all residents.