CBI Busts Chandigarh-Based Trafficking Racket Exploiting Job Seekers

The CBI has filed an FIR against a Chandigarh-based racket for allegedly trafficking Indians to Myanmar under the guise of offering jobs in Thailand. The accused, including Riya Sonkar, lured victims to work in cyber-crime sweatshops. Severe punishments awaited those who refused to comply, and many individuals remain trapped.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has lodged an FIR against a Chandigarh-based racket accused of trafficking 'gullible Indians' to Myanmar, misleading them with promises of lucrative jobs in Thailand, officials revealed on Tuesday.

Identifying the alleged mastermind as Riya Sonkar and an accomplice named Ajay, the federal agency has invoked Indian Penal Code sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 370(3) (human trafficking) in the FIR. Investigations led the CBI to conduct a search at Sonkar's premises, uncovering substantial digital evidence linked to the extensive 'scam' and its financial transactions.

Sonkar supposedly assured victims of employment as customer-support executives in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia but instead redirected them to Myawaddy, Myanmar, notorious for its cyber-crime operations run by Chinese and Indian syndicates. Victims faced severe penalties, including physical torture, for non-compliance. Awareness spread when a co-passenger alerted the victims mid-flight to Myanmar, leading them to contact the Indian embassy upon arrival. The embassy intervened, deporting the individuals back to India on March 6, 2024.

(With inputs from agencies.)