The National Investigation Agency (NIA) made the sixth arrest in the human trafficking and cyber frauds case, wherein the recruited youth were sent overseas to work in alleged fake call centres involved in online crimes. The arrest was made after conducting searches in Nashik on Friday.
The NIA had taken over the case from the Mumbai Police on May 13, as the investigation revealed an inter-State organised human trafficking syndicate having international linkage. This triggered a multi-State joint operations with the respective state police forces leading to five arrests on May 27.
Among those arrested earlier were Manish Hingu of Vadodara (Gujarat), Pahlad Singh of Gopalganj (Bihar), Nabialam Ray (Delhi), Balwant Kataria of Gurugram (Haryana), and Sartaj Singh (Chandigarh).
Sudarshan Darade is the sixth person to be arrested from Nashik. The NIA claim that they were operating on the orders from international syndicates.
Investigation has revealed that Mr. Darade was allegedly directly involved in the organised trafficking syndicate, engaged in luring and trafficking Indian youth to foreign countries on the alleged false promises of legal employment.
The NIA claimed that all the accused arrested so far had been working in close collusion with traffickers operating from across the international border to illegally transport Indian youth from Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam to Laos Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
The youth were allegedly forced to work in fake call centres at Laos, Golden Triangle SEZ, and Cambodia, among other places, through elaborate syndicates, controlled and operated mainly by foreign nationals. These syndicates were connected to operatives based in various parts of India, as well as other countries like the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam, besides Cambodia, Laos SEZ etc.
The Golden Triangle SEZ is along the Mekong River in Laos, at the point having international borders of Myanmar and Thailand.
“These trafficked youth were further coerced into undertaking illegal activities online, such as credit card fraud, investments in crypto currency using fake applications, honey trapping, etc.,” as per the NIA investigations, which continues.
“Today’s searches led to the seizure of several incriminating materials, including documents, digital devices, details of bank accounts etc., which the NIA is examining to unravel the conspiracy behind the human trafficking and forced cyber fraud case,” the NIA’s statement read.
Indian Embassies in Laos and Cambodia on their respective websites’ home page have put up an advisory alerting people about fake or exploitative job offers involving cyber crimes.
The one on Cambodia’s website reads, “Indian nationals intending to visit Cambodia for employment are cautioned to do so only through authorised agents. It is also advised that the background of the prospective employer in Cambodia is checked thoroughly.” People have been recruited after securing a tourist visa.
“Victims are illegally taken across the border into Laos from Thailand and held captive to work in Golden Triangle SEZ in Laos under harsh and restrictive conditions. At times, they are taken hostages by criminal syndicates indulging in illegal activities and forced to work in strenuous conditions under constant physical and mental torture,” read the advisory on Indian Embassy in Laos’ portal.
“In some cases, Indian workers have been brought to Laos to work in other regions of Laos in low-cost jobs such as mining, wood factory, etc. In most cases, their handlers exploit them and endanger them in illegal work. A number of Indians have been rescued under very difficult conditions,” the statement on the portal read.
