HYDERABAD: A Nampally court on Wednesday found six people guilty of human trafficking and sentenced them to life imprisonment in a 2019 case investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The convicts were identified as Mohammad Yousuf Khan alias Mohammad, Imran Shaik alias Sameer Mondal, Bithi Begum alias Khadija Shaik alias Nodi, Sojib, Ruhul Aamin Dhali, Khonla Justin alias Justin and Shivli Khatoon. They trafficked five Bangladeshi nationals, all of whom were repatriated to Bangladesh on September 30, 2021, through the Benapole border.

After hearing the case, the court found the accused guilty of offenses under Sections 120B, 370(3) and 370(A)(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They were also charged under Sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 as well as Sections 468 and 471 of the IPC and Sections 14, 14(A) and 14(C) . of the Aliens Act and section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

Padma Shri awardee Sunitha Krishnan, in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), said, “In a landmark judgment, the Nampally court sentenced six traffickers to life imprisonment in a cross-border trafficking case , the first of its kind. . This was a joint operation of NIA and anti-trafficking agency Prajwala where five victims from Bangladesh were rescued in 2019. The victims were rehabilitated and repatriated safely by us. After five years, this is a great judgement. Much appreciation and sincere congratulations to the NIA team.”