NIA court sentences 6 persons to life imprisonment for trafficking Bangladeshi girls

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Hyderabad has sentenced all six accused to life imprisonment in a 2019 human trafficking case of Bangladeshi girls who were forced into prostitution after being smuggled into India.

The suspects, identified as Mohd Yousuf Khan, his wife Bithi Begum, Sojib, Ruhul Amin Dhali, Mohammed Abdul Salam alias Kounla Justin and Sheela Justin alias Shiuli Khatun, have been found guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of immoral trade. Act, 1986, according to an NIA statement on Thursday.

NIA investigation revealed that the suspects lured Bangladeshi girls with the promise of lucrative jobs and decent wages and trafficked them to India where they were forced into prostitution, the statement said.

The special court in its judgments on Wednesday also imposed a fine of Rs 24,000 on each accused, the court said.

In case of default, the suspect risks an additional prison sentence of eighteen months, the statement said.

Telangana police had registered the original case at Chatrinaka police station after rescuing five girls from a house in Kandikal Gate area of ​​Uppuguda, Hyderabad, during an operation in August 2019.

The NIA took over the investigation and re-registered the case on September 17, 2019.

The agency had filed charges against four of the suspects on March 10, 2020, followed by additional charges against the remaining two in August 2020.