PATNA: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday conducted simultaneous raids in Bihar's Gopalganj, East Champaran and Saran districts as part of its investigation into an alleged international human trafficking network involved in sending people to Cambodia for cyber fraud.
NIA teams questioned several people, seized mobile phones and digital devices, and summoned the suspects to its Patna office for further questioning.
In Gopalganj, an NIA team questioned an agent identified as Pradeep Singh in the Sadhu Chowk locality under the Town police station limits. The investigation is linked to a case in which Satyanarayan, a resident of Bettiah in West Champaran district, was allegedly sent abroad in 2024 and later taken to Cambodia, where he was forced to engage in cyber fraud.
Sources said Satyanarayan managed to escape from the clutches of cybercriminals and returned to India, after which he filed a complaint with the NIA. The agency is investigating the case based on that complaint.
After questioning, the NIA issued a notice directing Pradeep Singh to appear at its Patna office on July 10. However, Singh denied the allegations, claiming that all the money had been refunded after the young man returned from Cambodia and that the NIA initiated its probe only after a fresh complaint was filed later.
In East Champaran, the NIA raided the residence of Mohammad Kalamuddin in Kalupakar village under Phenhara police station limits. According to the agency, Kalamuddin's name surfaced during the investigation into the international human trafficking case. His mobile phone was seized and he was questioned for several hours.
The NIA suspects Kalamuddin was part of a network involved in sending people to Cambodia and arranging travel tickets. The investigation has also revealed that he was in contact with Sudhir Singh, a resident of Chhapra, who is considered the main accused in the case. Kalamuddin has been directed to appear at the NIA office in Patna on July 13.
In Saran district, a special NIA team from Delhi, assisted by the local police, conducted a raid at Pachrukhwa village under Mashrakh police station limits at around 5 am on Tuesday. DIG Saran Nilesh Kumar confirmed the raid and said the local police cooperated with the NIA during the operation.
