Bhopal, March 21 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Cyber Police have arrested two persons for their alleged involvement in a human trafficking racket that lured youths with promises of jobs abroad, officials said on Saturday.
The preliminary investigation revealed that the fraudsters used to contact youths through social media and invite them for an interview for jobs.
According to police, one of the accused has been arrested from Bihar, while another from Uttar Pradesh. They were working as agents and were actively involved in luring youths from Madhya Pradesh. They falsely promised lucrative overseas employment following a bogus interview process.
“Young people were defrauded through advertisements promising lucrative jobs abroad. The accused would lure these youths to Thailand and then to Myanmar. They would sell these youths to cyber-scammers in exchange for foreign currency. The victims were forcibly held captive and compelled to carry out scam operations,” Bhopal’s Cybercrime Superintendent of Police Pranay Nagvanshi told IANS on Saturday.
The officer said that with the arrest of two agents, the state cyber police have exposed an international network that lured young people with the promise of jobs abroad, only to trap them and transport them to places for cyber fraud operations.
He further stated that the arrests came during an investigation of a case involving a Bhopal youth who was enticed with a data entry job offer and sent to Thailand nearly three months ago. From Thailand, the victim was trafficked across the border into Myanmar, where he was sold to a gang involved in cyber fraud.
“There, he was subjected to physical abuse and forced to participate in fraudulent activities. He was rescued by the Myanmar military later,” he added.
Nagvanshi said that during interrogation, arrested persons revealed that cyber scam hubs are operating on a large scale along the borders of Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, where youths from various countries, including India, are being held captive and forced to work.
The officer shared that the accused persons have been booked under various relevant sections about human trafficking and the IT Act. He said that mobile phones, tablets, and several crucial documents were recovered from their possession, and further investigation was underway.
–IANS
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