Bengaluru, Jan 26 (TIWN) The Karnataka High Court has issued notices to four accused persons from Tamil Nadu in connection with the petition submitted by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) asking the court to cancel the bail granted to them in a human trafficking case.

The alleged persons are accused of running a human trafficking racket of bringing Sri Lankan nationals to India and from here then sent to foreign countries.  The divisional bench headed by Justice Alok Aradhe took up the petition by NIA questioning the order of granting bail to the accused by the NIA Special Court. Considering the submission made by the NIA Special Public Prosecutor P. Prasannakumar objecting to granting of bail to the accused, the court had issued notices to Rasool (24), Saddam Hussain (24), Abdul Mahitu (53) and Socrates (28), all hailing from Tamil Nadu. 

The public prosecutor argued that ‘innocent, gullible people from Sri Lanka were brought to India illegally through Tamil Nadu to be human trafficked to Canada.

For every Sri Lankan the accused got from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. The accused, who are well known about the sea route, could escape if they continue to be on bail.  The accused were arrested in Mangaluru, Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka on June 10, 2021. The NIA is conducting investigation into the case by obtaining the custody of 13 persons who were lodged in the Central Prison of Parappana Agrahara in Bengaluru. As many as 38 Sri Lankan nationals are also being investigated in connection with the case.