NIA Arrests Four in Major Human Trafficking and Cyber Fraud Case in Delhi
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested four key individuals in Delhi as part of a crackdown on human trafficking and cyber fraud linked to Laos and other Southeast Asian countries. The arrested individuals are Manjoor Alam alias Guddu from Delhi, Sahil and Ashish alias Akhil from Bahadurgarh (Haryana), and Pawan Yadav alias Afroze alias Afzal from Siwan (Bihar).
According to the NIA, these individuals were part of an organized syndicate that lured Indian youth with promises of lucrative jobs abroad. Once trafficked, the youth were forced to work in fake call centers in places like Laos and the Golden Triangle SEZ. These call centers were used to carry out illegal online activities, including investment scams, relationship scams, and cryptocurrency scams.
The NIA took over the case from Delhi Police on June 19, 2024, and has been working to dismantle these human trafficking networks. In May, the agency conducted extensive searches across 15 locations in six states and two union territories, leading to the registration of eight new First Information Reports. In June, the NIA chargesheeted five individuals, including foreign nationals, in a similar case in Mumbai.
NIA -: NIA stands for National Investigation Agency. It is a government agency in India that investigates serious crimes like terrorism and other national security threats.
Human Trafficking -: Human trafficking is when people are taken or tricked into doing work or other activities against their will. It is illegal and very harmful.
Cyber Fraud -: Cyber fraud is when someone uses the internet to trick people into giving them money or personal information. It is a type of crime that happens online.
Delhi -: Delhi is the capital city of India. It is a very big city with many people and important government buildings.
Laos -: Laos is a country in Southeast Asia. It is far from India and has its own culture and language.
Southeast Asia -: Southeast Asia is a region that includes countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. It is located to the east of India.
Syndicate -: A syndicate is a group of people who work together, often secretly, to do something illegal. In this case, they were involved in human trafficking and cyber fraud.
Call Centers -: Call centers are places where people work to make or receive phone calls, often for customer service or sales. In this case, the call centers were illegal and used for fraud.