KOCHI: Kochi city police will soon submit a detailed investigation report on the human trafficking network linked to Cambodia-based cyber fraud syndicates to the state police chief, with investigators recommending that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation, sources said.
The report was prepared after a seven-member special investigation team recorded statements from more than a dozen victims who were allegedly trafficked to Cambodia. Investigators visited the victims’ homes in different parts of Kerala to document their testimonies and reconstruct the trafficking network.
Based on the victims’ statements and evidence collected during probe, the report recommends that a human trafficking case be registered against the prime accused, Abdul Rahman, and other members of the network. The detailed report was prepared under the supervision of an assistant commissioner of police.
The probe found that Abdul, a native of Palakkad, allegedly facilitated trafficking of more than a dozen Malayalis to Cambodia after promising them lucrative overseas employment. According to investigators, the victims first travelled legally to Thailand, where their passports were allegedly confiscated. They were then transported by road across the border into Cambodia and forced to work for syndicates operating out of industrial-scale scam centres.
Police said many of the victims were unable to leave the compounds and were forced to participate in online investment and financial scams targeting people in various countries. Since many of them did not possess valid travel documents, Cambodian authorities later deported them to India.
The investigation team is planning to seek fresh custody of Abdul, who is currently in judicial remand, for further interrogation in light of new evidence. Police have also nearly completed an examination of his bank accounts, financial transactions and assets to establish the money trail.
During questioning, Abdul allegedly admitted that he charged around `3 lakh for sending each person to Cambodia. After paying other members of the trafficking network, he retained nearly `2 lakh per victim. Investigators suspect he may have facilitated the trafficking of nearly 100 people over the past few years.
Abdul was arrested last month in connection with the cheating of a Kochi-based doctor, who lost `37 lakh after being lured through a matrimonial website into an online investment scam.
