Ranchi, Feb 27 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday filed its first supplementary charge sheet against four people for running a human trafficking racket from Jharkhand to Delhi and neighbouring states.

The gang used to traffic vulnerable poor boy and girls from Jharkhand on the pretext of providing them jobs in Delhi and neighbouring states.

The case pertains to human trafficking in the guise of running placement agencies. It was initially registered in Jharkhand's Khunti district on July 19, 2019 in which 37-year-old kingpin of the gang, Panna Lal Mahto, was arrested. Mahato was running a human trafficking network in Jharkhand and Delhi.

The NIA took over the case on June 13 last year.

During investigations, it was revealed that Panna Lal, along with his wife Sunita, was operating a human trafficking network in the guise of six placement agencies in Delhi. Sunita is still absconding.

The agency said that the victims were exploited and were never paid the promised remunerations.

Two other accused, Gopal Oraon and Shiv Shankar Ganjhu, were arrested during investigations. They were close associates of Panna and were actively involved in trafficking vulnerable persons from Jharkhand.

Investigation has also revealed that both were owners of three placement agencies in Delhi, involved in human trafficking racket.

In order to unveil the racket, twenty-two victims have been identified, rescued and examined till now,
the NIA said while presenting the charge sheet in a special court here against four people-- Mahato, Sunita, Oraon and Ganjhu.

The accused has been charged with criminal conspiracy, Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979 and Section 79 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2015 and other various sections under Indian Penal Code.

--IANS rak/ash