NIA charges five in human trafficking, cyber fraud case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on June 21 indicted five accused, including two foreign nationals, in connection with alleged international human trafficking and cyber fraud syndicates operating inside and outside the country.

The accused, Jerry Jacob and Godfrey Alvares, are under arrest, while three others, Sunny Gonsalves, as well as foreign nationals Niu Niu and Elvis Du, remain at large, officials said. The charge sheet filed before the special NIA court in Mumbai revealed the involvement of several foreign nationals in the case, in which the agency is continuing its investigation.

According to the investigation, the accused targeted young Indians with computer and English skills and forced them to work in fraudulent call centers on tourist visas for monetary gains. The victims were recruited, transported and transferred from India to the Golden Triangle SEZ in Lao PDR via Thailand. Upon arrival, the victims were trained on how to use Facebook, Telegram, the basics of cryptocurrency and how to handle applications created by the fraudulent company, agency officials said.

“The powerful syndicates have also resorted to victim control tactics in case any of the young trafficking victims refuse to continue their online fraud work. These tactics included isolation and restriction of movement, confiscation of personal travel documents and physical violence, arbitrary fines, death threats, threats of rape in the case of women, threats to appear in court in a false drug case at the local police station,” officials said. .

The racket was operated with complete audacity, with the accused even going so far as to delete data from the victims' cell phones to destroy evidence. Victims were threatened if they contacted the embassy or relevant local authorities. “In some cases, victims were held in fraudulent compounds, confined without food for 3 to 7 days, and tortured if they refused to work. They were released only after extraction of extortion payments, ranging from ₹30,000 to ₹1,80,000, or after intervention by the Indian embassy in Lao PDR following complaints filed by the victims,” the official said, adding that further investigation is underway to uncover the complete racket and identify other accused involved.