Six get life term for trafficking Bangladeshi girls

A National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court at Hyderabad has convicted all six accused in a 2019 human trafficking case, involving Bangladeshi girls, who were forced into prostitution after being smuggled into India. All six accused have been sentenced to life imprisonment.

The accused, identified as Mohammad Yousuf Khan, his wife Bithi Begum, Sojib, Ruhul Amin Dhali, Mohammed Abdul Salam (aka Kounla Justin) and Sheela Justin (Shiuli Khatun), were found guilty under various Sections of the IPC and Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act, 1986. Dhali was arrested from West Bengal while others were nabbed from Telangana between 2019 and 2020.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 24,000. In the case of default of payment, the accused will face an additional 18 months of simple imprisonment. NIA probe had revealed that the accused had lured victims with the promise of lucrative jobs and trafficked them from Bangladesh into India.