What Really Drove Criminal Minds Con Artist Hasina To A Life Of Crime
Though it did not have the longevity of the original, the spinoff "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders" worked hard to capture the magic of its parent series. The show largely followed the same format — brutal crimes investigated by a team of the FBI's best detectives and profilers. Instead of a Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), "Beyond Borders" had an International Response Team (IRT) that jetted off at a moment's notice to profile and capture horrific criminals. The key difference, as revealed in the show's name, was that the IRT focused on crimes throughout the world, as opposed to the BAU almost exclusively working within the United States.
Despite only lasting two seasons, "Beyond Borders" managed to create a bevy of bone-chilling criminals, some that might even rival the worst of the BAU's criminals. In the fourth episode of Season 1, "Harvested," the IRT head to India to investigate the death of an American citizen. There, they meet Hasina (Anjali Bhimani), a mysterious woman at the head of a vast criminal enterprise.
Hasina ran an illegal organ harvesting empire
In "Harvested," the IRT flies to Mumbai when an American tourist is found clinging to life in an alley after his kidney was surgically stolen. The team investigates what they suspect is black market organ trafficking, which is only partially correct. As the story unfolds, viewers learn that the American tourist was attacked by Samraj Sabah (Karthik Srinivasan), an Indian man born into the society's lowest caste. When Samraj's father falls ill, he brings him to a nearby hospital. Unfortunately, Samraj is unaware that the hospital is truly an organ extraction center run by the local mob headed by Hasina. Instead of helping Samraj's father, the hospital staff allows him to die of dehydration, after which they remove his heart, kidney, and corneas to sell on the black market.
When his father's body is returned to him, Samraj is devastated to learn of the missing organs, which, according to their faith, means his father cannot be reincarnated. Desperate to ensure his father's rebirth, Samraj abducts the American tourist in order to replace his father's missing kidney. Samraj goes on to abduct a second tourist to remove his corneas and a third to retrieve a heart, though the latter attempt fails.
Hasina was both chilling and enigmatic
While pursuing Samraj, the IRT stumbles upon Hasina. The female mob boss is cold and unfeeling as she denies involvement in the case of the American tourist. Hasina, though, is agitated that someone else appears to be organ trafficking within her territory. Eventually, the IRT finds Samraj, who burns to death after coating his home in gasoline and igniting it. With the case closed, the IRT heads home, while Hasina, whose power is undiminished, remains free to conduct her criminal enterprises.
Unlike most "unsubs" on "Criminal Minds" and its spinoff, Hasina's backstory was never explored or explained. The IRT's investigation focused on Samraj, not Hasina, though the latter is clearly the larger threat. Viewers do learn, however, that in addition to her black market organ trafficking, Hasina appears to illegally control the nearby slum with the help of corrupt police officers on her payroll. Perhaps if "Beyond Borders" had a longer run, Hasina would have made a return in a future episode. The character is one of the most chilling and enigmatic criminals to appear on the short-lived series, and her shadowy past makes her extremely compelling.