Dindoshi Sessions Court denies bail to 41-yr-old trafficker

The Dindoshi Sessions Court refused to grant relief to Zakir Shaikh, a 41-year-old Goregaon resident, who is allegedly involved in trafficking 17 minors and four women to other countries.

"Prima facie considering the seriousness and gravity of the offence, 17 minors and four women appear to have been trafficked abroad, their whereabouts are not known neither is it known where they were brought from," held the court while denying the anticipatory bail.

According to the prosecution's case, the immigration officer at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus International Airport, Arun Shashidharan, in October 2017, found discrepancies in his database. A close check of the records revealed that Shaikh's co-accused, Harsha Modi, had travelled abroad on almost six to seven occasions between 2013 and 2016, and allegedly trafficked almost 17 minors and four women successfully.

"Modi used to leave India with women and children but returned alone. Also, one of the children's passports, which she was allegedly using to traffic minors by showing them as her own kids, were forged. This was established by the age difference of the two kids which led to suspicion and a deeper inquiry into the matter busted the alleged racket," said the prosecution.

Meanwhile, the counsel for the accused claimed that the accused is the director of a company and a respectable man who has been falsely implicated in the scam.