11 trafficked Bangladeshis rescued from a train in India

Indian police have rescued 11 Bangladeshi nationals, including five children -- trafficked to the country -- from a train in Nagpur city of Maharashtra.

They were being taken to Gujarat state to work as labourers and prostitutes when they were rescued yesterday, reports our New Delhi correspondent quoting an official.

The Bangladeshis had entered India with fake documents and were travelling on the Howrah-Ahmedabad train when, acting on a tip-off, a joint police team of Nagpur police and Anti-Terrorism Squad of Maharashtra state police conducted a check at Nagpur station, he said.

Nine of them were going to work as labourers while two young girls were being taken to work as prostitutes, police said.

The joint police team led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) Chinmay Pandit, identified their fake Aadhaar cards. During questioning, they confessed that they were being taken to Gujarat.

The police have identified two persons in charge of the human trafficking network. One of them is a resident of West Bengal, police said.

The police team is going to West Bengal and Gujarat to nab the culprits and the rescued Bangladeshi nationals will be deported to their country.

An offence will be registered against the accused persons under provisions of The Foreigners Act and Indian Penal Code.

Chinmay Pandit said the trafficking gang would illegally bring people from Bangladesh and get them fake Indian identification cards like passport, Aadhaar and PAN on the basis of forged documents.

The police will intensify the action against such gangs, he added.