Pursuing PM Modi's vision of secure Bharat, NIA busts int'l human trafficking module: Shah

New Delhi: A day after the NIA's major action against illegal human trafficking, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said pursuing PM Modi's vision of secured Bharat, the agency has busted five international modules.

The NIA on Wednesday cracked its whip on the illegal human trafficking across 10 states and arrested 44 people.

Shah congratulated the probe agency team. In a post on X, he said, "Pursuing Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji's vision of a secured Bharat, the NIA has busted five international human trafficking modules."

He said, "The operation, carried out simultaneously across ten states, resulted in 44 arrests. Congratulations to team NIA. The Modi government will continue with its zero-tolerance approach toward illegal immigration and is committed to shielding the nation from this menace."

In a bid to dismantle the illegal human trafficking, the NIA carried out searches at 55 locations in 10 states and arrested 44 people in connection with four cases related to human trafficking.

An NIA spokesperson here said the National Investigation Agency, in close coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF) and state police forces, conducted a comprehensive operation across multiple states since Wednesday morning.

The official said that the operation was aimed at dismantling illegal human trafficking support networks involved in infiltration and settlement of illegal migrants across the Indo-Bangladesh border into India.

The official said that following the registration of four human trafficking cases at the NIA branches in Guwahati, Chennai, Bengaluru, Jaipur, simultaneous and synchronised raids and searches were carried out at a total of 55 locations across the following states and union territories -- Tripura, Assam, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Haryana, Rajasthan, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry.

The official said that the initial case was registered on September 9 by the Assam Police's Special Task Force (STF) and pertained to a human trafficking network responsible for the infiltration and settlement of illegal migrants across the Indo-Bangladesh border into India, including those of Rohingya origin.

The operations of this network extended into various parts of the country, including regions along the Indo-Bangladesh International Border.

"Recognising the international and inter-State linkages of the case and its complexity, the NIA formally took charge of the investigations on October 6 by registering a case at the NIA Police Station in Guwahati," the official said.

The official said that its probe revealed that different modules of this illegal Human Trafficking network were spread over various states, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir and operating from there.