Kishanganj Police have busted an alleged international human trafficking and overseas job fraud network operating in Bihar's Seemanchal region, arresting two men in Patna with the help of the Bihar Special Task Force (STF), IANS reported. The arrested men are Haji Nahid Ghani, an AIMIM leader from Rauta in Purnia district who police describe as the alleged kingpin, and his associate Mohammad Tabrez of Angarh. The arrests were made on the instructions of Kishanganj Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar.

Kishanganj SDPO-I Khusru Siraj said the gang allegedly extracted large sums of money from young people and sent them illegally to Malaysia and Thailand via the 'donkey route', adding that a Pakistani agent based in Malaysia played a key role in the operation.

Investigators suspect the accused used firms including Haji Nahid Ghani Private Limited and Taiba International Tour and Travels to attract victims with promises of jobs in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Malaysia.

The case came to light after a complaint by Md. Suleman at Bishanpur police station in Kishanganj, who alleged the accused took Rs 1.80 lakh on the promise of a foreign job for his son Noorzafar. Suleman alleged his son was first taken to Krabi in Thailand and then smuggled into Malaysia, where a Pakistani agent allegedly confined him with other young men before forcing him to work at a company in Johor.

Patna Press reported that cases against the accused are also registered in Kishanganj and Purnia districts, and that the probe follows allegations that seven youths from Amour in Purnia and Kochadhaman in Kishanganj were stranded in Dubai in August after paying around Rs 1.5 lakh each, with their passports allegedly held by an agent; the youths had released a video seeking help, after which former Kishanganj MLA Master Mujahid Alam spoke to them over a video call.

Police say the investigation into the alleged network, its recruitment methods and its overseas associates is continuing. All allegations are under investigation and have not been proved in court.

Sources: IANS, Patna Press, The420.