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The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in collaboration with state police, arrested five individuals involved in a human trafficking and cyber fraud syndicate. The arrests followed coordinated searches across multiple states and Union Territories.
Multi-State Raids and Arrests
On Monday, the NIA conducted searches at several locations in six states and Union Territories, leading to the arrest of five suspects. The accused, identified as Manish Hingu from Vadodara, Pahlad Singh from Gopalganj, Nabialam Ray from South-West Delhi, Balwant Kataria from Gurugram, and Sartaj Singh from Chandigarh, were apprehended after raids at 15 locations across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Chandigarh.
Seizures and Evidence
The NIA, working with state police forces and central intelligence agencies, seized incriminating materials including documents, digital devices, handwritten registers, multiple passports, and fake overseas employment letters. Eight fresh FIRs have been registered by different state/UT police forces.
Details of the Investigation
The NIA investigation revealed that the accused were part of an organized trafficking syndicate. They lured Indian youths to foreign countries with false promises of employment. Once abroad, these youths were forced to work in fake call centers in locations like Laos, the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ), and Cambodia. These operations were controlled primarily by foreign nationals.
The trafficked individuals were coerced into illegal online activities, including credit card fraud, cryptocurrency scams, and honey trapping. The arrested suspects coordinated with traffickers across international borders to facilitate the illegal border crossing of Indian youths from Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam to Laos SEZ.
International Connections
The syndicate was found to be linked to agents based in foreign countries such as the UAE, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos SEZ, as well as operatives within several Indian states including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana.
Ongoing Investigation
The NIA took over the case from Mumbai Police on May 13. It was discovered that the trafficking network extended beyond Mumbai, involving various facilitators and traffickers across India and internationally. The investigation is ongoing.
