NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has busted a transnational human trafficking network that allegedly lured Indian nationals with fake job offers abroad and forced them into “cyber slavery”, compelling them to carry out online fraud operations, the agency said on Wednesday.
The agency also arrested an accused from Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow for his alleged role in facilitating the trafficking operations.
The accused has been identified as Ishak Hashmi, a native of Gonda in Uttar Pradesh, and interrogation is under way to identify other individuals involved in the organised network.
“Preliminary findings suggest that agents involved in the network receive payments from operators of scam compounds in exchange for supplying Indian nationals,” the agency said.
The federal probing agency also carried out raids at nine locations across four states, including Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Kashipur, and places in the Gonda and Saharanpur districts of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The case involves an organised network of agents engaged in trafficking Indian nationals to South-East Asian countries under the pretext of lucrative overseas job opportunities.
Investigations have revealed that victims are lured with false promises of high-paying employment and subsequently transported to scam compounds located primarily in Myanmar and Cambodia.
“These facilities, operated by transnational cybercrime syndicates, have been described as hubs of ‘cyber slavery’, where trafficked individuals are forced to participate in various forms of cyber-enabled fraud,” the agency said.
Victims in these compounds are subjected to severe restrictions on movement, with their passports often confiscated upon arrival. Reports indicate instances of both physical and psychological harassment. In several cases, victims have been compelled to seek financial assistance from their families to pay ransom for their release.
During the raids, the agency undertook detailed financial analysis, including tracking cryptocurrency transactions, to identify individuals involved in the trafficking network. Electronic devices containing incriminating evidence were seized during the searches.