The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted raids in various states of the country and arrested five people for their involvement in an international human trafficking and cyber fraud syndicate. The accused were luring Indian youths into their trap by falsely promising them good jobs abroad. A statement said that the citizens lured by these syndicates were taken abroad and then forced to work in fake call centres in other countries including Gold Triangle Special Economic Zone, Laos and Cambodia. This racket was managed and regulated by foreign nationals. Indian citizens were forced by the people of this syndicate to engage in online illegal activities like credit card fraud, investing in cryptocurrency using fake apps, honey trapping, etc. After the raids, the NIA arrested Manish Hingoo from Vadodara, Prahlad Singh from Gopalganj in Bihar, Nabialam Ray from Delhi, Balwant Kataria from Gurugram and Sartaj Singh from Chandigarh. The NIA has arrested five people from Gujarat, Maharashtra. Raids were conducted at more than 15 places in seven places, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab and Chandigarh.
Documents and equipment were confiscated
During the raids conducted by the NIA, several items including documents revealing the assets of the accused, digital devices, handwritten registers, several passports and fake employment letters were seized. The NIA said eight new FIRs were registered in various states and union territories and five arrests were made. The investigation further revealed that the arrested accused were working with foreign-based smugglers and Indian youth.
Illegal infiltration into Laos SEZ from Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. These elements were working on behalf of foreign agents who are members of organised syndicates in states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, UP, Bihar, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana.