GUWAHATI: The operation was jointly initiated by the Assam Police and the National Investigating Agency after a group of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis were held by Assam Police in February this year
A joint operation led by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Assam Police, in collaboration with various state Police forces, dismantle a sprawling network of touts and middlemen involved in facilitating illegal infiltrations into India.
The operation, which commenced in the early hours of November 8 has resulted in the apprehension of 47 touts and middlemen who were playing a pivotal role in this illicit activity. The operation stems from a sequence of events that began in February 2023 when a group of Rohingyas was discovered aboard a train arriving from Tripura at Karimganj Railway Station by the Karimganj Police.
Subsequent investigations brought to light that illegal Rohingyas and infiltrators were entering India via the Indo-Bangladesh Border. Following this incident, Assam Police escalated their vigilance, which resulted in halting and repatriating 450 illegal migrants, comprising Rohingyas and Bangladeshis, with the assistance of Border Guarding Forces.
Further inquiries and questioning revealed that the illegal migrants had been aided in their unlawful entry into India by touts and middlemen. These intermediaries, orchestrating the illegal infiltrations, were found to operate not only along the Indo-Bangladesh Border but also across the Indian mainland.
In response, Assam's Special Task Force (STF) initiated an operation in July 2023 aimed at dismantling this web of touts. Ten such touts and middlemen were successfully apprehended during this operation.
The investigation unveiled the existence of these tout networks not just within Assam but across India, raising significant concerns related to national security with inter-state implications. Subsequently, the Assam government approached the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, requesting the transfer of one of the cases to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), given the fact that Assam was serving as a corridor for these anti-national activities.
The NIA undertook the case and collaborated closely with Assam Police to compile a list of touts involved in these illicit activities. Following careful planning, the NIA, along with Assam Police, simultaneously launched the nationwide operation, leading to the apprehension of 47 touts and middlemen, with five from Assam and 25 from Tripura.