Rajasthan HC rejects bail pleas of three Rohingya accused in human trafficking case

Jaipur, July 10 (IANS) The Rajasthan High Court has rejected the bail applications of three Rohingya nationals from Myanmar accused of living in India under false identities and allegedly trafficking Bangladeshi girls to different parts of the country. A Division Bench comprising Justice Indrajit Singh and Justice Bhuwan Goyal dismissed the bail pleas of Mohammad Usman, Shafi Alam alias Shofi Alam and Rabi-ul-Islam.

According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the three accused had been residing in India for several years after allegedly concealing their identities.

During this period, they are also alleged to have made multiple illegal trips to Bangladesh and, before their arrest in 2023, brought around 30 Bangladeshi girls into India illegally.

The agency alleged that the girls were trafficked and sold in Hyderabad, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and Rajasthan. Several human trafficking cases have reportedly been registered against the accused in different states. The NIA arrested the trio from Rajasthan and Haryana based on intelligence inputs.

Their bail applications were first rejected by a Special NIA Court in Jaipur in 2024, following which they approached the High Court. Appearing for the NIA, Advocate Snehdeep Khyalia submitted that the accused had entered India through the Bangladesh border during 2011-12. According to the agency, Mohammad Usman was residing in Jammu & Kashmir, Shafi Alam in Telangana and Rabi-ul-Islam in Nuh, Haryana, while allegedly using concealed identities. The NIA further alleged that the accused procured Aadhaar cards, mobile SIM cards and bank accounts using forged documents.

The agency claimed that they were involved in bringing Rohingya girls into India and arranging their marriages in different cities as part of a larger conspiracy. It further alleged that the network intended to assimilate the girls into Indian society so that they could be exploited for anti-national activities if required.

Opposing the bail applications, the NIA argued that the accused posed a high flight risk and that statements of several key witnesses, victims and complainants were yet to be recorded. The defence, however, contended that the accused had been falsely implicated, had remained in custody for more than two years and that the trial was likely to take considerable time to conclude. It also argued that statements of several important witnesses had already been recorded.

After hearing both sides, the Rajasthan High Court dismissed the bail pleas, allowing the trial to continue while the accused remain in judicial custody.

–IANS

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