The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two key accused in connection with a human trafficking network that allegedly lured Indian nationals to cyber scam compounds in Southeast Asia by promising lucrative overseas jobs.
The arrested accused have been identified as Nipender Chaudhary and Nilesh Narpatsinh Purohit.
According to the CBI, the investigation has uncovered a network of agents and facilitators who recruited Indian citizens with attractive employment offers in countries across Southeast Asia.
Victims Transported Abroad, Forced Into “Cyber Slavery”
Once recruited, the victims were transported to scam compounds, mainly in Myanmar and Cambodia, where they were forced into cybercrime operations under conditions described as “cyber slavery.”
These scam compounds, operated by transnational cybercrime syndicates, function as hubs for large-scale online financial frauds targeting victims across multiple countries. Indian nationals trafficked to these facilities were allegedly coerced into participating in illegal cyber activities while their passports were confiscated and their movement was heavily restricted. Several victims reportedly suffered physical and psychological abuse, and in many cases, their families had to pay large sums of money to secure their release.
Accused Moved Victims Illegally, Got Paid In Cryptocurrency
The CBI said Nipender Chaudhary worked on behalf of a scam compound operator and played a key role in arranging the transportation of Indian nationals to Myanmar through Thailand. Victims were allegedly flown to Bangkok, taken to Mae Sot, and then illegally moved across the Thailand-Myanmar border into scam compounds operating in Myanmar. He is accused of coordinating logistics and transportation for the trafficking network.
The second accused, Nilesh Narpatsinh Purohit, allegedly managed a network of sub-agents across India on behalf of scam compound operators. Investigators found that he operated from an office inside a scam compound near the Thailand-Myanmar border and received payments in cryptocurrency from operators running the illegal establishments.
The arrests are part of an ongoing probe into an international human trafficking and cyber fraud network. Earlier in May, the CBI conducted coordinated searches at eight locations across four states and arrested another accused linked to the same trafficking racket.
The probe agency said the investigation is continuing to identify other members of the network and dismantle the organised syndicate involved in trafficking Indian nationals to cyber scam centres operating in Southeast Asia.
