Cracking Down on Cyber Crime Trafficking: NIA Exposes Global Scam Network

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) charged members of a human trafficking gang for sending Indian youths to Laos for cyber crime work. Run by Chinese scammers targeting Westerners, the operation involved Ali International Services as a front and extorted victims using cryptocurrency.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken a decisive step against an international human trafficking operation by filing a charge sheet implicating members of a gang responsible for sending Indian youths to Laos. These individuals were coerced into working in cybercrime sweatshops run by Chinese criminals targeting citizens in Europe and America, officials disclosed on Thursday.

The charge sheet, submitted to a special court on Wednesday, accuses Manjoor Alam alias Guddu, Sahil, Ashish alias Akhil, and Pawan Yadav alias Afzal alias Afroz, along with the principal conspirator, Kamran Haider alias Zaidi. The investigation unveiled that these operatives trafficked vulnerable Indian youth to the Golden Triangle Region in Lao PDR, compelling them to perpetrate cyber scams. The consultancy firm Ali International Services served as a front for these illicit activities, an NIA spokesperson remarked in a statement.

Zaidi was identified as the mastermind, coordinating operations and extracting money through cryptocurrency wallets from victims who attempted to flee. Pawan Yadav played a key role in bypassing middlemen to recruit individuals directly into fraudulent jobs, primarily involving creating fake social media profiles to deceive Europeans and Americans into investing in bogus cryptocurrency schemes. The investigation revealed a sophisticated network engaged in these schemes, including illegal manpower supply and the facilitation of illegal border crossings within Southeast Asia.

(With inputs from agencies.)