- Ex-merchant navy officer Nagesh Kumar arrested for trafficking Indians to Cambodia and Thailand
- Victims were lured with fake job offers and extorted lakhs for overseas placements
- Youngsters were held hostage and forced into cyber fraud and online crimes abroad
An ex-merchant navy officer has been arrested for allegedly trafficking Indians to Cambodia and Thailand for "cyber-slavery" under the pretext of high-paying jobs.
The racket came to light after some youngsters claimed they were cheated and trapped in cyber scam centres.
According to the police, the ex-merchant navy officer - identified as Nagesh Kumar - is the international cyber slavery gang's main leader. The gang allegedly lured young people to the two Asian nations under the pretext of promising them good jobs abroad. They extorted lakhs of rupees from people for sending them abroad.
However, once they reached there, the youngsters were held hostage and forced into cyber fraud and online crimes.
After receiving the complaint, the Agra Cyber Cell initiated an investigation and discovered that many Indian youngsters were trapped in the racket and were being pressured into committing online fraud. Subsequently, the police conducted multiple raids and arrested Nagesh Kumar from Himachal Pradesh's Palampur area.
Cops have previously arrested and jailed several accused associated with this gang.
The mobile phone recovered from the accused's possession is considered crucial to the investigation, revealing numerous clues regarding conversations with foreign, especially Chinese, companies.
The police believe the 'cyber-slavery' network may have connections to foreign countries.
In a similar incident, the National Investigating Agency (NIA) chargesheeted five people, including the mastermind, linked to the human trafficking and cyber-slavery case in Cambodia.
The gang's mastermind, Anand Kumar Singh, is currently on the run.
The accused were involved in luring Indians to Cambodia on the pretext of jobs and handsome salaries - as part of an organised human trafficking syndicate. The victims' passports were seized, and they were forced to work for scam companies in Cambodia, with any resistance on their part met with mental and physical torture, including electric shocks, forceful confinement, and denial of food and water.
