New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) struck a major blow on Wednesday, raiding nine spots in Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand to dismantle a sophisticated human trafficking network.
Investigators zeroed in on agents who preyed on vulnerable Indians with bogus offers of lucrative overseas jobs, only to shuttle them to fraudulent operations in Myanmar and Cambodia for forced cybercrime under horrific “cyber slavery.” Authorities nabbed one individual in Lucknow linked to the operation.
Deceptive Lures and Brutal Realities
According to the CBI, “Victims often educated youth desperate for employment were enticed through online advertisements offering lucrative roles in data entry, customer support or IT jobs in Thailand or other Southeast Asian destinations. Recruiters charged hefty placement fees, ranging between USD 300-400 and arranged travel, initially routing them via Delhi or Bangkok. Once across the border, their passports were confiscated, movement severely restricted and victims coerced into running cyber scams targeting global victims, including Indians back home.”
The inquiry uncovered romance scams, cryptocurrency cons, fake digital arrests, and extortion schemes. These compounds, managed by cross-border gangs with Chinese ties, mimic fortified jails in areas like Myanmar’s Myawaddy and KK Park. Captives suffered beatings, mental torment, sleep denial, and constant menaces, often pleading with relatives for bailout funds—morphing victims into reluctant criminals.
Raids Yield Evidence, Probe Deepens
Operations conducted across Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Kashipur in Uttarakhand and UP districts including Gonda and Saharanpur. Teams seized gadgets brimming with proof, gathered victim testimonies and traced crypto flows from scammers to local handlers, who pocketed kickbacks for new recruits.
This long-running investigation follows March 2026 busts of Mumbai boss Sunil Nellathu Ramakrishnan (aka Krish) and Kanpur fixer Krishna Kumar Lakhwani. CBI sources revealed that over 29,000 Indians who traveled to Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam on tourist visas between 2022-2024 remain unaccounted for, with Punjab reporting the highest number of missing persons.
Stark Warning Amid Job Desperation
The scam network painfully reveals Indians enticed abroad to prey on their fellow citizens. “It underscores vulnerabilities in overseas employment verification and the growing nexus between trafficking and cybercrime amid economic desperation. There should be stricter regulation of job portals, awareness campaigns and stronger international cooperation with Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand to dismantle compounds and repatriate victims”, a CBI official said.
CBI officials described these as “hubs of cyber slavery,” where refusal to comply invited severe reprisals and repercussions. With financial sleuthing ongoing, the action signals peril for dream-chasing youth. Experts urge checking recruiters on official portals and dodging advance payments to shatter this vicious loop.
