A special National Investigation Agency court in Hyderabad sentenced nine people to life imprisonment on September 17 for operating a human trafficking racket. The network lured Bangladeshi women into India with promises of well-paying jobs and forced them into prostitution. Eight of the convicted individuals are Bangladeshi nationals, and the ninth is an Indian citizen. The court also imposed a cumulative fine of roughly Rs 1.37 lakh, with a three-month default clause of simple imprisonment.
The case originated in September 2019 after Telangana Police received intelligence and rescued four Bangladeshi women during raids in Jalpally village and Mahimood Colony in Balapur. The NIA took over the investigation in October 2019, tracking the accused across states including West Bengal and Telangana. The nine individuals were prosecuted under the Indian Penal Code, the Foreigners Act of 1946, and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act of 1956.