NIA files chargesheet against two accused of coercing Bangladesh nationals into forced labour

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India has charge-sheeted Muhammed Sahajalal Haldar and Muhammed Idris, also known as Erdish Khan, for illegally entering India a decade ago and coercing Bangladesh nationals into forced labour. 

The chargesheet was filed after their arrest in February this year. 

They were apprehended with assistance from the Internal Security Division of Karnataka after evading capture for several months.

The NIA had registered the case RC-01/2023/NIA/DLI on November 7, 2023, after receiving credible inputs about certain Karnataka-based entities working with facilitators and traffickers in Assam, Tripura and Bangladesh to establish a transnational human trafficking network. 

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Nationwide searches by NIA had led to the arrest of several accused in the case and the agency had earlier chargesheeted 12 Bangladeshi nationals under IPC, Foreigners Act and Passport (Entry into India) Act.

NIA investigations have revealed that Haldar and Idris, who had crossed into India through Benapole at the Indo-Bangladesh border, initially worked as waste segregators. 

They later rented land at Seegehalli and Margondanahalli respectively in Karnataka, and started their own waste segregation units by constructing godowns and temporary sheds. 

They used to employ trafficked Bangladesh nationals and force them into hard labour on meagre wages under threat of arrest by the Indian police.