Vizag Cops Arrest 20 Traffickers, Rescue 85 Victims
About 500 people from northern Andhra are currently forced to engage in catfishing and investment fraud scams in Myanmar and Cambodia after being deceived by fake job offers.
Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam police have rescued 85 victims and arrested 20 individuals in a major crackdown on human trafficking networks that lure Indian youth to cybercrime centres in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. The police also seized two mobile phones, cash totalling Rs 50,000, $2,000 (approximately Rs 1,80,000), and 20 SIM cards from the arrested persons.
During a press conference held on Wednesday, city police commissioner Sankhabrata Bagchi revealed that the latest arrest was made on July 14, when two agents, identified as Suresh and Adilakshmi, at Visakhapatnam Airport were held while attempting to traffic four young persons to Cambodia under the false promise of data entry jobs.
The CP said this arrest was part of a broader operation that has busted multiple trafficking rings in nine cases. The commissioner said that the operation has rescued 85 victims who were deceived by trafficking gangs and trapped in Chinese-operated cyber scam companies abroad.
Police investigations revealed that approximately 500 people from north Andhra are currently working for cyber scam operations in Myanmar and Cambodia, with many being forced into these roles after being deceived by fake job offers.
The investigation identified Vijayakumar, known as Sunny, as the prime suspect in the Chinese scam operations in Cambodia, which specifically target Telugu-speaking youth from the AP and Telangana.
Suresh, one of the detained agents, had previously been employed at a Cambodian scam centre before returning to India to recruit more individuals.
The CP further added that the trafficked Indians were forced to engage in catfishing, investment fraud by persuading victims, particularly vulnerable groups, to invest in stocks, cryptocurrencies and gold coins.
The proceeds from these scams are laundered through seven to eight transactions, converted into cryptocurrency, and sent to Singapore to conceal the illegal gains.
Police officials warned recruitment agents and consultancy firms of legal action for violating the Immigration Act of 1983.
Visakhapatnam police have set up a dedicated helpline 7995095799 to assist trafficked individuals. Suspicious recruitment activities and reports of cyber fraud can be also reported to the national cybercrime helpline 1930.
