NIA Charges Five in Laos for Human Trafficking and Cyber Fraud

In a major move against an international human trafficking network, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed charges against five individuals in Laos. These individuals are accused of cyber fraud and human trafficking, allegedly operated by a consultancy firm based in Delhi. The accused include Manjoor Alam (alias Guddu), Sahil, Ashish (alias Akhil), and Pawan Yadav (alias Afzal, Afroz). Another alleged conspirator, Kamran Haider (alias Zaidi), has also been identified.

The NIA revealed that these individuals were involved in trafficking vulnerable Indian youth to the Golden Triangle Region in Lao PDR. There, the victims were forced into cyber scams targeting people in Europe and America. The consultancy firm, Ali International Services, was used as a front for these activities.

Zaidi was reportedly facilitating the operation and was involved in a cryptocurrency scam. He extorted money from victims through cryptocurrency wallets. Pawan Yadav bypassed other agents to directly supply trafficked individuals to Chinese companies. These companies created fake Facebook profiles to chat with people from the USA and Europe, convincing them to invest in fraudulent cryptocurrency apps.

The NIA uncovered a network of traffickers involved in illegal activities, including unlicensed manpower supply and illegal transport of victims to Southeast Asian countries. The accused were involved in arranging flights, documents, and illegal border crossings with contacts in the Golden Triangle Region.

The investigation is ongoing. Previously, the NIA charged the CEO of Long Sheng company, a Laos-based enterprise, in a related case. Sudarshan Darade, another accused, was arrested in June, making him the sixth person charged. Jerry Jacob and Godfrey Alvares have also been arrested.