NIA chargesheets five in human trafficking and cyber fraud case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on June 21 chargesheeted five accused, including two foreign nationals, in an alleged international human trafficking and cyber fraud syndicates operating within and outside the country.

The accused, Jerry Jacob and Godfrey Alvares, are under arrest, while three others, Sunny Gonsalves, as well as foreign nationals Niu Niu and Elvis Du, are still absconding, the officials said. The chargesheet filed before NIA Special Court, Mumbai, has exposed the involvement of several foreign nationals in the case, in which the agency is continuing with its investigation.

As per the investigation, the accused were targeting Indian youth who were proficient in computer and English, and coercing them into working in fraudulent call centres on tourist visa for pecuniary gains. The victims were being recruited, transported and transferred from India to the Golden Triangle SEZ in Lao PDR via Thailand. Upon arrival, the victims were trained in the use of Facebook, Telegram, basics of Cryptocurrency, and handling of Apps created by the scam company, the agency officials said.

“The powerful syndicates also used victim control tactics in case any of the trafficked youth refused to continue with the online fraud work. These tactics included isolation and restriction of movement, confiscation of personal travel documents and physical abuse, arbitrary fines, threat to kill, threat to rape in case of women, threat to arraign in false case of drugs in local police station,” the officials said.

The racket was being operated with complete audacity, with the accused even deleting the data of the victims’ mobile phones to destroy evidence. The victims faced threats if they approached the concerned Embassy or local authority. “In some cases, the victims were held in scam compounds, confined without food for 3 to 7 days, and tortured if they refused to work. They were only released after extraction of extortion payments, ranging from ₹30,000 to ₹1,80,000, or intervention by the Embassy of India in Lao PDR on complaints made by the victims,” the official said, adding that further probe is on to unearth the complete racket and identify the other accused involved.