NIA files chargesheets against three Myanmar nationals in Rohingya trafficking case

The NIA said the accused fraudulently obtained Aadhaar cards to procure SIM cards and opened bank accounts.

Guwahati: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed chargesheets against three Myanmar nationals for allegedly trafficking Rohingya refugees into India through the borders of Bangladesh with the Northeastern region. 

A statement issued by the NIA on Sunday said the chargesheets were filed on Saturday following Investigation into "a major international human trafficking case" involving the illegal infiltration and trafficking of foreign nationals, primarily of Rohingya origin, into India across the India-Bangladesh border.

The accused have been identified as Rabi Islam alias Rabiul Islam, Shafi Alam alias Sofi Alom alias Sayedul Islam, and Mohammad Usman. They are all permanent residents of Myanmar's Maungdaw district, said the statement. 

As per NIA investigations, they had entered India illegally, in collusion with traffickers and touts, without valid travel documents. They were also involved in facilitating the infiltration of numerous other foreign nationals through unauthorised and illegal border routes, the NIA chargesheet said. 

Part of a well-organised network of traffickers and touts involved in various illegal activities, they were also engaged in luring vulnerable Rohingya women, who had taken refuge in Bangladesh, into India on the false promise of marriage to Rohingya men.

Such women were then sold for forced marriages across UP, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Haryana, said the NIA statement. 

The NIA further said investigations also uncovered instances and evidence of forgery of documents, and established that Rabi Islam and Mohammad Usman had obtained Aadhaar cards fraudulently. The duo had also used these cards to procure multiple SIM cards and open bank accounts, further concealing their true identities.

With these chargesheets, the NIA, which had started probing the case in November 2023, has taken a significant step towards uncovering and dismantling a major international human trafficking racket and network, said the statement.