In a coordinated operation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Assam Police apprehended 47 individuals on Wednesday, who are suspected of acting as intermediaries in facilitating the illegal entry of Rohingyas into India, as confirmed by Assam Police.
Harmeet Singh, Special DGP of Assam, stated, “After careful planning, a nationwide operation was initiated by the NIA and Assam Police in collaboration with various state police forces during the early hours of November 8. As part of this operation, a total of 47 middlemen and facilitators have been apprehended.”
Among those detained, 25 individuals are from Tripura, five from Assam, three from West Bengal, nine from Karnataka, one each from Haryana and Telangana, and three from Tamil Nadu, according to the law enforcement authorities.
Assam Police revealed that in February 2023, a group of Rohingyas was intercepted on a train arriving from Tripura at Karimganj Railway Station by the Karimganj Police. Following a thorough investigation, it was discovered that illegal Rohingyas and infiltrators were entering India via the Indo-Bangladesh border.
In response to this incident, Assam Police increased surveillance and enforcement efforts, resulting in 450 illegal migrants (comprising Rohingyas and Bangladeshis) being intercepted and turned back with the assistance of Border Guarding Forces.
During the course of inquiries and interrogations, it was established that these illegal migrants were being assisted in entering India illicitly by middlemen, who played a significant role in facilitating the infiltration, as per the police.
Subsequent investigations also revealed that these middlemen operated not only along the Indo-Bangladesh border but also within mainland India. Consequently, the police initiated an operation to dismantle this network of middlemen.
The police reported that the Special Task Force (STF) of Assam launched the operation in July 2023 and successfully apprehended ten such intermediaries. It was further discovered that the network of middlemen extended across India, posing a significant national security concern with interstate implications.
In light of these findings, the Assam government requested the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India to transfer one of the cases to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), given that Assam was being used as a corridor for this anti-national activity.
Consequently, the NIA assumed responsibility for the investigation and collaborated closely with the Assam Police.
The police, in coordination with the NIA, compiled a list of individuals involved in this nefarious activity, commonly referred to as “touts.”
