NIA files chargesheet against 5 in major human trafficking, cyber fraud case

Mumbai: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a chargesheet in the special NIA court against five accused, including two foreign nationals, in a major human trafficking and cyber fraud case with international links . Among the accused, Jerry Jacob and Godfrey Alvares are under arrest, while Sunny Gonsalves and foreign nationals Niu Niu and Elvis Du are still at large.

According to NIA investigations, the accused targeted young Indians with computer and English language 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 and Telegram, the basics of cryptocurrency, and how to handle apps created by the fraudulent company.

The powerful syndicates have also resorted to victim control tactics in case any of the young trafficked 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 of appearance in false drug case at the local police station, etc.

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. 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 Rs 30,000 to Rs 1,80,000, or intervention by the Indian embassy in Lao PDR on the complaints filed by the victims.

Sources revealed that Jacob and Alvares were arrested after arriving in India for a vacation when the victims alerted law enforcement. The duo orchestrated a sophisticated operation, luring and trafficking dozens of Indian citizens to Laos under false promises. The investigation revealed that the suspects employed deceptive tactics, promising lucrative job opportunities in Thailand to unsuspecting victims.

Published on: Saturday, June 22, 2024, 02:23 IST