Preliminary findings indicate that agents “receive payments from operators of scam compounds” in exchange for supplying Indians, the agency said.
New Delhi: The CBI on Wednesday conducted searches at nine locations across four states and arrested one person from Lucknow in connection with a human trafficking case involving Indian nationals sent to Southeast Asia on the promise of overseas jobs. The coordinated raids were carried out in Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Kashipur, and parts of Gonda and Saharanpur districts in Uttar Pradesh, following a nationwide enquiry in which victim statements were recorded.
The agency said it undertook “detailed financial analysis, including tracking cryptocurrency transactions” to identify those involved in the network. Electronic devices containing incriminating evidence were seized during the searches. One person was arrested in Lucknow for his alleged role in facilitating the operations. Preliminary findings indicate that agents “receive payments from operators of scam compounds” in exchange for supplying Indians, the agency said.
According to the CBI, victims were lured with “false promises of high-paying employment” and taken to scam centres in countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia, where they were forced into cyber fraud activities in conditions described as “cyber slavery”.
Victims faced “severe restrictions on movement”, with passports often confiscated on arrival, the agency said, adding that there were instances of “physical and psychological harassment”. In several cases, victims were forced to arrange ransom payments from their families for release.
