A sweeping crackdown in Ahmedabad’s Chandola Lake area—commonly referred to as “Mini-Bangladesh” due to its dense concentration of undocumented Bangladeshi migrants—has unearthed a deeply entrenched international human trafficking syndicate, with links stretching from Bangladesh through West Bengal to Gujarat.
The operation, launched in the wake of the Pahalgam massacre, has revealed one of the country’s most insidious trafficking corridors.
During the raids, law enforcement agencies uncovered a staggering number of trafficked Bangladeshi nationals—predominantly young women and minors—who had been funnelled into over 2,000 spas and massage parlours across Ahmedabad and its outskirts. Many of these establishments were found to be operating without licences and were fronts for organised criminal operations.
At the time of the crackdown, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Sharad Singhal, stated, “This area had essentially become a haven for criminal syndicates.”
According to Gujarat Police sources, the trafficked women were not only exploited in the sex trade under the guise of massage parlours, but the businesses also served as key nodes in local narcotics distribution. The sheer scale of the operation points to a highly organised trafficking network originating in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district.
Also read: Over 800 illegal Bangladeshis held near Chandola lake, Gujarat
“The Petrapole-Benapole border has become the primary conduit for cross-border trafficking,” a senior officer revealed. “Once inside India, victims are transported in mini-vans—a common mode of local transport in rural Bengal—to major transit points like Sealdah and Howrah stations. From there, they are dispatched across the country, particularly to Gujarat, where they are coerced into working in illicit spa operations.”
This intelligence has been formally shared with West Bengal Police, who are now coordinating with their Gujarat counterparts.
The crackdown led to the detention of over 800 undocumented Bangladeshi nationals residing in the Chandola Lake region. Of these, 184 have been processed for imminent deportation via the North 24 Parganas border. The remainder, primarily women and children, are in custody as authorities work through complex legal and deportation procedures.
The multi-agency drive—launched on 26 April by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Gujarat Police—also saw the demolition of nearly 4,000 illegal structures and the reclamation of over 1.5 lakh square yards of encroached land. A fleet of bulldozers and a large police contingent dismantled the final 40,000 square yards.
While the trafficking revelations have dominated headlines, intelligence agencies are also probing possible terror links. Four Bangladeshi nationals associated with the proscribed terror outfit Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) were recently arrested from the locality. Their case is now being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Further concerns have been raised regarding suspected links between some illegal settlers and extremist groups such as the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). Intelligence inputs suggest that former members of these organisations, recently released from prisons in Bangladesh, may be attempting to enter Indian territory.
Among the most alarming discoveries during the operation was a 2,000-square-yard farmhouse allegedly owned by Mehmoodkhan Pathan, alias Lallu Bihari, accused of facilitating forged identity documents for illegal immigrants. An FIR has been lodged against him and authorities are probing his possible links to local politicians and compromised officials within law enforcement.
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