In a joint operation by National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Assam Police, 47 touts and middlemen were arrested on Wednesday after they were found facilitating the interstate travel of illegal immigrants, including Rohingya, Assam Police Special DGP Harmeet Singh informed.
Among those arrested during the pan-India operation, 25 are from Tripura, five are from Assam, nine are from Karnataka, three are from West Bengal, and the remaining are from three other states, the senior official said.
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According to the police, the apprehended individuals are part of a racket that came to light during an investigation that was launched by the Special Task Force of Assam Police in July and was later transferred to the NIA.
(Representative Image. Pic Credits: ANI)
The probe was launched after a group of illegal Rohingya immigrants was intercepted on a train that had entered Assam from Tripura, the senior police official said.
He added, “450 such illegal infiltrators were stopped and turned back with the help of border guarding forces. There was an operation launched by STF (Special Task Force) Assam, in July… Once questioning and inquiries took place it was very apparent that this is a matter which is a national security concern and has interstate ramifications.”
“The NIA took up the case and began an investigation. There’s been a collaborative effort of the NIA with us and in this collaborative effort, we were able to put together a list of touts from across the country,” Singh stated.
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The official further said, “Today morning in the wee hours an operation was launched across many states by the NIA with the Assam Police and a total of 47 such touts and middlemen who were running this racket have been caught.”
(With inputs from ANI)
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