Human traffickers have ‘safe homes’ on either side of border

Over 1000 women, victims of trafficking, have returned to the country from India. Another 10,000 or so remain in various places around India. Most of these women were lured by all sorts of promises, only to be forced into prostitution once they crossed the border. An extensive human trafficking network has been built up in the two countries for this purpose. The traffickers have also set up over 50 ‘safe homes’ on either side of the border.

These details of women being trafficked to India has emerged following investigations carried out over around two months by the law enforcement. The police and RAB began investigations simultaneously into the matter after a video of a Bangladeshi girl being sexually abused in Bengaluru went viral towards the end of May this year.

Many girls are trapped in the name of making Tiktok videos. Once they cross the border, these girls are held hostage. They are then used for illicit business

Those involved in the investigations have said that normally young girls are targeted. The traffickers befriend these girls through Facebook and other means to build up a relationship. Then they lure them with promises of jobs in supershops, shopping malls or beauty parlours and take them over the border. Many girls are trapped in the name of making Tiktok videos. Once they cross the border, these girls are held hostage. They are then used for illicit business.

Several girls who managed to escape after being trafficked to India, told Prothom Alo that they were kept in ‘safe homes’ in India where they were subject to brutal sexual abuse. Videos were made of them being sexually abused. They were then forced into prostitution, with threats of sending the videos to their families, or posting these on Facebook or reporting them to the police as illegal immigrants.

There are four criminal rings in Bangladesh active in trafficking women to India. And on the other side of the border, there are three such criminal rings in Kolkata and Bengaluru. While Indians are in charge there, Bangladeshis are involved too

There are four criminal rings in Bangladesh active in trafficking women to India. And on the other side of the border, there are three such criminal rings in Kolkata and Bengaluru. While Indians are in charge there, Bangladeshis are involved too. The coordinator of all these groups is apparently a 30-year-old Bangladeshi, Chan Miah Biswas alias Sabuj of Narail.

The Bengaluru police has arrested 12 persons so far for involvement in the torture of the Bangladeshi girl. Eleven of these arrested persons are Bangladeshi, including Sabuj. The sole Indian national among the arrested, Akhil alias Hakil, leads the network in Bengaluru.

Additional deputy commissioner of police of Tejgaon industrial area, Md Hafiz Al Faruk, who is in charge of the operation in this regard, told Prothom Alo that the names of the members of the women trafficking rings in India and in the country have been found. Efforts are on to arrest them.

RAB sources said they had ascertained that around 10,000 trafficked women were presently in India. The women trafficking ring had around 50 ‘safe houses’ in the border lying districts

Traffickers have 250 active members in the country

Four girls who managed to return to the country after being sexually abused in India, filed five separate cases with the Tejgaon industrial area police station under the human trafficking prevention act and the anti-pornography act. After that, police and RAB carried out an operation at the Jashore and Satkhira border. So far 26 persons have been arrested in these cases. Of them, 11 have made confessional statements in court. Two of them gave depositions in court as witnesses.

According to the police, four rings were active in the country, led by Rifadul Islam Hridoy alias Tiktok Hridoy of Maghbazar in Dhaka, Al Amin Hossain of Sharsha in Jashore, Israfil Hossain Khokan of Benapole, and Nur Jahan alias Nodi Akhter alias, Joya Akhter alias Jannat alias Iti of Old Dhaka. Each of them had over 50 persons in their groups. These persons would work as assistants in various areas to undertake the task of gathering girls and trafficking them across the border.

RAB sources said they had ascertained that around 10,000 trafficked women were presently in India. The women trafficking ring had around 50 ‘safe houses’ in the border lying districts. There were around 250 active members of the various trafficking groups in the country. In India there were around 100 such active members.

The officers in charge of investigations said Rifadul Islam alias Hridoy would make Tiktok videos in Hatirjheel, Maghbazar, Uttara, Purbachal and various areas of Dhaka. He became to be known as Tiktok Hridoy. He would trap semi-educated young girls of poorer families in the pretence of making Tiktok videos and then smuggle them over to India.

The head of another ring, Al Amin Hossain, has been trafficking women across the Benapole border in Jashore since 2017. After Eid-ul-Azha last year, he was shot and injured by members of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) while trafficking a woman across the border. He would smuggle young girls of poor families in the southwest region, pretending to be an ayurvedic doctor in Benapole.

Nur Jahan alias Nodi herself was a victim, having been smuggled to Malaysia in 2017. Upon return, she herself became the leader of a ring in the country.

Three rings active in India

The girls who had been trafficked said that they were first taken to Kolkata after crossing the border. They were kept in a ‘safe home’ there while their Indian national ID cards were made. From there they were sent by plane or train to Bengaluru or Chennai. Bokul alias Khokan was in charge of this work in Kolkata. In Bengaluru, the rest of the work was run by two rings led by Taslima alias Beauty and Akhil.

The investigating officers said Khokan’s assistants would receive the girls at the border and keep them at the ‘safe home’. They would keep them there for two or three days, take their photographs and a certain Palak Mondol of the group would use the photographs to get their Indian national ID cards made. He would then use these ID cards and book their airline or train tickets and send them to Bengaluru. Akhil would send a car to the Bengaluru airport or train station to pick up the girls. They would then be taken to the den of one of the ring leaders, Taslima, in Anandapur circle of Bengaluru. Akhil would even rent places to keep them separately. Sabuj, the leader of the network, would then supply various hotels and massage parlours in Bengaluru, Kerala and Chennai, with these girls in exchange of money.

Police investigations show that BGB was also used for the job. However, BGB spokespersons Lt Col Faizur Rahman denied such allegations. He told Prothom Alo, “We do not agree with the police’s investigations and we have no knowledge of this matter.”

Crossing the border

In their statements, the three arrested persons described how the girls would be taken across the border at Satkhira and Benapole. They gave the names of a UP chairman and a member of Satkhira sadar upazila who were also involved. In his statement, Mehdi Hasan said he was from the village Kaliani in Baikari union of Satkhira. The India border was just 300 yards from his home. He would hand the girls over to lineman Akbar along the Indian border. He was paid Tk 3000 for the job.

Police investigations show that BGB was also used for the job. However, BGB spokespersons Lt Col Faizur Rahman denied such allegations. He told Prothom Alo, “We do not agree with the police’s investigations and we have no knowledge of this matter.”

The volume of trafficking

According to two non-government organisations working to prevent human trafficking, Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association and Rights Jashore, over the past 10 years around 2000 women who had been trafficked to India, were brought back to the country through legal procedures. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police said that in the 17 years from 2004 to March 2021, there had been 6,735 cases filed in the country for human trafficking.

Director of RAB’s intelligence wing Lt Col Md Khairul Islam told Prothom Alo, the police and RAB are providing the police in India with information about the traffickers over there. Accordingly, members of the ring in Bengaluru have been nabbed. And based on the information from those arrested in the country, efforts are on to arrest those who have fled. RAB’s additional director general Col. KM Azad said that efforts are on to bring the trafficked girls back to the country.

* This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir