Ahmedabad court convicts three accused for cross-border human trafficking of Bangladeshi women

The Ahmedabad Sessions Court (Rural) convicted three accused in a cross-border human trafficking case involving Bangladeshi women rescued from Ahmedabad in 2023. 

The court found accused Babu Abulhasan Munjal Mulla, Shahidul Riyakat Abdul Malek Sheikh, and Josim Khayar Halim Sheikh guilty of offences under the Indian Penal Code, the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.

The accused – Babu Munjal and Shahidul Sheikh were sentenced to 4-4 years of jail, each under Section 2 and 5 of Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. Whereas another accused – Josim Sheikh was sentenced to seven years jail under section 370 of IPC and relevant section of ITPA.

The case originated from an FIR registered at Nikol Police Station on August 4, 2023, following a rescue operation conducted jointly by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), Nikol Police, and social workers from Freedom Firm, a Pune-based NGO. The operation was launched after information was received from Bangladeshi NGO Justice and Care regarding women allegedly being trafficked and sexually exploited in Ahmedabad.

According to the prosecution, the victims, all Bangladeshi nationals, were brought to India through illegal channels and were allegedly forced into commercial sexual exploitation in Ahmedabad and Surat. Investigators stated that the accused operated a trafficking network and profited from the exploitation of vulnerable women.