The CBI has launched a major crackdown on a human trafficking ring, arresting one person and conducting raids across India, for luring Indian nationals to Southeast Asia with promises of high-paying jobs, only to force them into cyber fraud under slave-like conditions.
Key Points
- CBI raids uncover a trafficking ring luring Indian nationals to Southeast Asia with false job promises.
- Victims were forced into cyber fraud operations in Myanmar and Cambodia under conditions of 'cyber slavery'.
- Traffickers subjected victims to severe restrictions, passport confiscation, and physical and psychological harassment.
- The CBI conducted searches across multiple states and analysed financial transactions, including cryptocurrency, to identify those involved.
- One person has been arrested in Lucknow for allegedly facilitating the trafficking operations.
The CBI on Wednesday raided nine locations across four states in its probe into trafficking of Indian nationals to Southeast Asian countries under the pretext of lucrative overseas jobs and arrested one person from Lucknow, officials said.
According to an official statement, investigations revealed that victims were lured with "false promises of high-paying employment" and transported to scam compounds in countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia, where they were forced into cyber fraud operations in conditions described as "cyber slavery".
Cyber Slavery and Exploitation of Indian Workers
Victims were subjected to "severe restrictions on movement", with their passports often confiscated upon arrival, the agency said.
It added that there were instances of "physical and psychological harassment", and in several cases, victims were compelled to arrange ransom payments from their families for release.
CBI Investigation and Arrests
As part of the probe, the CBI conducted coordinated searches in Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Kashipur, and areas in Gonda and Saharanpur districts of Uttar Pradesh, following a nationwide enquiry in which statements of victims were recorded.
The agency said it carried out "detailed financial analysis, including tracking cryptocurrency transactions" to identify those involved in the trafficking network, and seized electronic devices containing incriminating evidence during the searches.
One person was arrested in Lucknow for his alleged role in facilitating the trafficking operations, the statement said.
Trafficking Network and Payment Schemes
Preliminary findings suggest that agents "receive payments from operators of scam compounds" in exchange for supplying Indian nationals, it said.
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