NIA takes custody of wanted human trafficking mastermind from Tripura Police
AT Photo
Agartala, May 20: National Investigation Agency (NIA) officers took custody of human trafficking mastermind Hannan Mia, who was previously arrested by Tripura Police in the Rastar Matha area. The location from where he was arrested falls under the limits of Bishalgarh police station in Sepahijala district.
According to sources, Mia had been on the run for a significant period after the NIA included his name on the wanted list. He was booked in connection with a human trafficking case involving the India-Bangladesh international border.
The NIA had also announced a cash reward of one lakh rupees for his capture.
“Since the NIA had listed him as an accused in their investigation, officials took custody of him on Monday. They produced him before the court and requested a transit remand, which the court granted. The NIA is now transferring him to Guwahati. He will be produced before the special NIA court there," said OC Bishalgarh Police Station Rana Chatterjee.
Mia hails from Matinagar, a village in the West Tripura district near the border. He faces charges under various sections of the IPC, including 120B (criminal conspiracy), 121A (conspiracy to commit offences punishable by death or life imprisonment), 153A(1) (promoting enmity between different groups), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 465 (forgery), 471 (using forged documents), 295A (deliberate acts to outrage religious feelings), 109 (abetment), and 370 (human trafficking). Additionally, he is charged under sections 12(1)(a), 12(1A)(a)(b), and 12(2) of the Indian Passport Act, 1967.
Investigations have revealed Mia's links to unlawful associations and terrorist organisations.
According to the transit remand order, Mia is accused of conspiring to traffic a large number of Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya migrants into India, forging Indian identity documents, and having connections with other absconding accused persons, terrorist organisations, and underground outfits.
The local court emphasised the necessity of producing Mia before the special NIA court. “Considering the totality of facts and circumstances in this case and to safeguard the ongoing investigation, I am satisfied that producing the arrested accused, Hannan Mia, before the NIA Special Court in Guwahati is essential,” the court order stated.
The court granted Mia a four-day transit remand, directing the arresting team to produce him before the NIA Special Court in Guwahati as soon as practicable within this period. A three-member NIA team from Assam arrived in Tripura to oversee the whole process of his transfer.
