Indian police arrest five accused of trafficking people to fraudulent complexes

Indian authorities have arrested five people accused of trafficking unwitting job seekers to fraud resorts in Southeast Asia, days after the repatriation of dozens of Indian nationals who had been lured to “fraud factories”. » in Cambodia and Laos.

On May 27, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said it had searched locations in six states and seized evidence such as digital devices and fake employment letters.

“NIA investigations revealed that the accused were involved in an organized trafficking syndicate that lured and trafficked Indian youth to foreign countries based on false promises of legal employment,” the agency said in a statement press release, adding that the victims were forced to work. in “fake call centers” in Laos and Cambodia.

“They were forced to undertake illegal activities online, such as credit card fraud, cryptocurrency investments using fake apps, honey trapping, etc.,” the NIA said .

Southeast Asia's cyber fraud industry, which is run primarily by Chinese organized crime groups with local connections on the ground, is fueled by a pool of forced labor from people lured by promising employment in large fraudulent complexes.

They are often paid little or no pay and are forced, under physical threat, to commit cyber frauds, such as pig butchery scams, in which a scammer gains a victim's trust through messaging apps before deceive into false investments. Given their English skills, strong technological skills and, for many, lack of opportunities at home, Indians are an attractive target for fraudulent groups.

According to the Indian police, the five detainees worked “on behalf of agents based abroad and belonging to well-organized unions”.

One of the five people arrested is bodybuilder and social media influencer Balwant “Bobby” Kataria who, according to a complaint filed by two victims, advertised fictitious job offers on his YouTube and Instagram channels.

Rather than going to work in the United Arab Emirates, as promised, the two men said they ended up in a scam center in Laos.

Trafficking of Indians to fraudulent resorts in Southeast Asia has become such a problem that the Indian Embassy in Cambodia has issued a pop-up warning on its website warning citizens to be wary.

“He arrived at [our] “Indian nationals, lured by false promises of lucrative job opportunities in Cambodia, are falling into the trap of human traffickers,” the embassy says. “Indian nationals intending to travel to Cambodia for work are requested to do so only through authorized agents. It is also advisable to thoroughly check the potential employer's background in Cambodia.

The embassy recently helped secure the release of dozens of its citizens allegedly trafficked at a compound in the coastal town of Sihanoukville, one of the centers of the cyber scam industry.

On May 20, a video was released on inside the complex when local police arrive.

This evening at 8 p.m., more than 100 Indians revolted in the Jinbei 4 compound, Sihanoukvile, they fight against fraudulent companies. pic.twitter.com/PvLDJHlLzq

– Huang Yan (@pelops_huang) May 20, 2024

The next day, after the video was widely shared, the Indian embassy said it had heard from citizens trapped in the compound and that 60 of them had been taken by authorities to Phnom Penh for repatriation to India . In total, they say, 360 Indians have been rescued from scam centers in Cambodia.

On Sunday, 13 Indians trafficked at resorts in Laos returned to their home country.

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