NIA probing trafficking gangs after quizzing US deportees: Govt in RS
Since January this year, 388 Indian nationals deemed as illegal immigrant in the US have been deported to India.
New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered cases to probe organised human trafficking gangs and agents based on the questioning of several deportees repatriated by the United States (US) authorities earlier this year, the Union government informed Parliament on Wednesday.
Since January this year, 388 Indian nationals deemed as illegal immigrant in the US have been deported to India. Of these, 333 Indian nationals were deported directly from the US in three special flights that landed in Amritsar while another 55 came via Panama.
“NIA has questioned several deportees recently repatriated from the US to India and based on their questioning, instances of organised human trafficking have come to the notice. It has registered cases against the agents and other conspirators and intensive investigation is going on,” Union minister of state for home affairs, Nityanand Rai, said during the question hour in the Rajya Sabha.
Officials in the federal anti-terror agency, requesting anonymity, said they have filed two cases so far – based on the first information reports (FIRs) of Punjab police to probe fraudulent immigration firms and agents as well as their counterparts in foreign countries who facilitate travel for Indians to the US and Canada through Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico.
The Punjab Police has also formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe such networks and registered over a dozen cases so far.
NIA has agency-to-agency contact with law enforcement agencies in the US and Canada and will seek information from them about the agents based in those countries, the officials said.
Other than NIA, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also conducting a separate probe into illegal immigration by Indians to the US and Canada using the student visa route.
Apart from the 388 deported from the US so far this year, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities have informed the Indian government that there are 295 more individuals detained in their custody with final orders of removal, external affairs minister S Jaishankar informed the Rajya Sabha on March 13, adding that Union government is verifying the nationality of 295 people.
Overall, according to government data, 15,952 Indian nationals have been deported by the US since 2009.
The Centre has maintained that it does not have data on the number of undocumented Indian immigrants residing in the US. “The reason is that these immigrants have legally exited India but have either overstayed their US visa validity or have entered the US illegally or without valid documents,” the MEA informed Parliament last month.
Speaking on the achievements of NIA, which was set up through an Act of Parliament in 2008, MoS Rai told the Upper House that the anti-terror agency has registered 652 cases since its inception out of which charge sheets have been filed in 516 cases.
“So far, 4,232 accused have been arrested by the NIA and 625 have been convicted. Out of a total of 157 decided cases, 150 have resulted in conviction. The conviction rate of NIA investigated cases is 95.54%. NIA has seized or attached a total of 551 (movable and immovable) properties under unlawful activities prevention act (UAPA), worth ₹116.27 crore,” Rai said in a written reply.
“An effort has been made to benchmark the capacities of NIA at par with the parameters of functioning of the best counter-terrorism agencies in the world, in order to bolster the capacity of the NIA in prevention, investigation and prosecution of crimes affecting/ threatening national security,” the MoS said.
He added that NIA has also been given powers to investigate crimes against Indians abroad – and is currently investigating attacks on Indian high commissions in London and Ottawa as well as consulate in San Francisco.
“The Modi government has a policy of zero-tolerance towards terrorism. The government is taking all steps to end terrorism. As a result, there has been a 71% decrease in terrorist activities,” Rai said.
