The CID has zeroed in on a gang of human traffickers operating on the outskirts of Bengaluru after eight Bangladeshi nationals were rescued by the Anti-Human Trafficking Wing in a raid on a house in Yelahanka and a lodge in Chikkajala.
The investigation further revealed that a gang of human traffickers has killed two individuals and disposed of their bodies.
The special enquiries division of the CID arrested Mohamed Rehman, the kingpin, and his associates Rahul Mehra, Suneel Kejriwal (both from Mumbai), Mohamed Bilal Sharif (from Bangladesh) and Jaffar from Bengaluru. They were at a hotel on Bagalur main road in the northern part of the city. As per The New Indian Express, the gang had allegedly bludgeoned a man – Surendra Pal Singh (34) from Punjab – to death and dumped his body in Padarahalli village in December 2017.
A special CID team was formed in Punjab to investigate the disappearance of Surendra. The gang reportedly abducted him near Kothanur before taking him to Ramanagara. The CID officials believe that a second unidentified person has also been killed by the gang and are currently trying to get the details of the person.
Apart from Bangladeshi nationals, most of the trafficked persons were men in their late 20s or early 30s and are all said to be from Punjab. The gang offered jobs to victims online in Poland, Canada and other countries. Those who aspired to find jobs were reportedly told to appear for interviews, where they were videotaped. The videos were later sent to their families to show they were being hired after which they were locked in a room and harassed.
Their families were asked to pay them to secure their release. “They (victims) alleged that the men would demand that they call up their families back home and ask them to transfer money for their safe release. A few transactions were made,” said the police speaking to The Hindu.
The gang allegedly took Rs. 26 lakh from the victims before taking away their passports.
The victims, meanwhile, have also been arrested and remanded to judicial custody since they have entered the country illegally from Bangladesh.