CBI arrests Lucknow man for human trafficking
In a significant breakthrough, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday raided nine locations across four states: Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, as part of its investigation into a sophisticated human trafficking network.
CBI teams are probing agents who lured unsuspecting Indian nationals with false promises of high-paying overseas jobs, only to traffic them to scam compounds in Myanmar and Cambodia, where they were forced into cyber fraud operations under brutal 'Cyber Slavery' conditions. One person was arrested in Lucknow for allegedly facilitating the racket.
According to the CBI, "Victims often educated youth desperate for employment were enticed through online advertisements offering lucrative roles in data entry, customer support or IT jobs in Thailand or other Southeast Asian destinations. Recruiters charged hefty placement fees, ranging between USD 300-400 and arranged travel, initially routing them via Delhi or Bangkok.
Once across the border, their passports were confiscated, movement severely restricted, and victims coerced into running cyber scams targeting global victims, including Indians back home".
CBI probe has further revealed that operations involved romance scams, crypto fraud, digital arrests and extortion rackets.
Investigation has revealed that the scam compounds, run by transnational syndicates, often with Chinese links, operate like high-security prisons in border regions such as Myanmar's Myawaddy, including notorious KK Park. Inmates faced physical and psychological torture, sleep deprivation and continuous threats. Many were forced to beg families for ransom to secure release, turning victims into both perpetrators and hostages. CBI officials described these as "hubs of cyber slavery," where refusal to comply invited severe reprisals and repercussions
The raids targeted Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, and Kashipur in Uttarakhand and districts like Gonda and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. Electronic devices with incriminating evidence were seized. The agency conducted a nationwide inquiry, recording victim statements and tracking cryptocurrency transactions that flowed from scam operators to Indian recruiters. Agents reportedly received commissions for supplying fresh recruits, sustaining a self-perpetuating criminal economy.
CBI has been probing this racket for quite some time. In March 2026, the CBI arrested Mumbai-based kingpin Sunil Nellathu Ramakrishnan alias Krish and Kanpur recruiter Krishna Kumar Lakhwani for similar roles in the network. Thousands of Indians were found to be stranded, as earlier estimates showed over 29,000 on visitor visas to Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam unaccounted for between 2022 and 2024, with Punjab reporting the highest numbers, CBI sources said.
The case highlights a grim irony as job-seeking Indians are weaponised against their own countrymen through digital fraud. "It underscores vulnerabilities in overseas employment verification and the growing nexus between trafficking and cybercrime amid economic desperation. There should be stricter regulation of job portals, awareness campaigns and stronger international cooperation with Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand to dismantle compounds and repatriate victims", an official said.
As the CBI continues financial probes and hunts more facilitators, the raids serve as a grim warning. For thousands chasing the 'overseas dream,' the line between opportunity and exploitation has never been thinner. Authorities have urged vigilance and advised people to verify recruiters through government portals and avoid upfront payments for foreign jobs. Breaking this cycle demands not just enforcement but societal alertness to prevent more lives from being enslaved in the shadows of Southeast Asia's scam empires, they added.
