The authorities in the US have announced that nine persons from India have been indicted for their alleged roles in a global human trafficking racket aimed at transporting illegal immigrants through southeast Asia to the US.

The acting US Attorney for Pennsylvania and the Department of Homeland Security have announced that nine persons from India have been indicted for their alleged roles in a major international alien smuggling ring.

A  federal grand jury has returned a three-count indictment against nine persons from India — Naresh Patel, Dinesh Diwan, Rakesh Patel, Hiren Mehta, Rajesh Katwa, Jitendra Sheth, Asha Varma, Bibin Balachandran and Sandip Kumar Patel — charging them with conspiring to illegally smuggle undocumented aliens from India to Pennsylvania through Thailand, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

The indictment returned by the grand jury alleged that the racket extended from 2003 through December 5, 2007.