New Delhi, 09 June (H.S.):

The Central Bureau of Investigation (Central Bureau of Investigation) has arrested two key accused, Nipender Chaudhary and Nilesh Narpat Singh Purohit, in connection with an investigation into a human trafficking and cyber slavery network operating from fraud centres in Southeast Asia.

The network allegedly lured Indian citizens with attractive job offers and transported them to illegal compounds in Myanmar and Cambodia, where they were forced into cybercrime activities.

According to the CBI, investigations revealed that the syndicate recruited victims through agents and intermediaries by promising overseas employment opportunities. Once abroad, the victims were taken to scam centres, where their passports were confiscated and they were subjected to physical and psychological abuse. In several cases, families were forced to pay large sums of money to secure the release of their relatives.

One of the arrested accused was reportedly working on behalf of the operators of the scam centres and handled logistical arrangements for transporting Indian nationals to Myanmar. The probe found that victims were first taken from Bangkok to Mae Sot, a border town in Thailand, before being illegally moved across the Thailand–Myanmar border into scam compounds.

The second accused operated a network of sub-agents within India and was linked to a scam centre located near the Thailand–Myanmar border. He allegedly coordinated with the centre operators and received payments through cryptocurrency channels.

The CBI further stated that in May, it had conducted searches at eight locations in the same case and arrested another accused. The investigation in the matter is continuing.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar