NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted searches at 22 locations across six states in connection with a case related to human trafficking.
The case involves syndicate members allegedly luring Indian youth to work at overseas call centres engaged in cyber fraud, officials said.
A senior NIA official stated, “The premises of 17 suspects were searched in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, and Punjab as part of the ongoing investigations into an organised trafficking syndicate.”
The suspects have been identified as sub-agents, associates, and relatives of Cambodia-based Indian agents involved in trafficking Indian youth to Southeast Asian countries. The official added, “The investigation has revealed that these suspects were involved in trafficking job-seeking youth to foreign countries and managing their financial transactions and other logistics.”
During the raids, the agency seized several digital devices, including mobile phones, hard drives, memory cards, and laptops, along with incriminating property and financial documents. Officials said Rs 34,80,800 in cash was also recovered.
NIA investigations have revealed that the youth were lured with promises of lucrative, legitimate jobs but were later forced into cyber slavery. Officials said the victims were transferred to “scam companies,” where their passports were seized.
Statements from the victims disclosed instances of mental and physical torture, including electric shocks, by managers of the scam companies for refusing to participate in cyber frauds.
The case was handed over to the NIA by the Bihar police after suspicions emerged of a larger organised network with cross-border links.