NIA Cracks Down on International Cyber Trafficking Ring

The National Investigation Agency has charged three individuals, including a fugitive suspected to be Chinese, for their involvement in a Myanmar-based human trafficking and cyber fraud operation targeting UK, US, and Canadian citizens. The accused lured Indian youths with fake job offers, coercing them into digital scams.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has reportedly filed charges against three individuals part of a global human trafficking and cyber fraud syndicate operating from Myanmar. The group is accused of targeting citizens in the UK, US, and Canada, a high-ranking official confirmed.

Those charged include Ankit Kumar, alias Ankit Bharadwaj, Ishtikhar Ali, alias Ali, and a Chinese national, Lisa, currently at large. Charges were filed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Emigration Act, following an extensive investigation. The NIA detailed a sophisticated network involving the illegal recruitment and trafficking of Indian youth.

According to the investigation, Indian youths were promised legitimate employment in Thailand through online interviews with the main suspect. However, upon arrival in Myanmar, they were coerced into working for cyber scam enterprises aimed at defrauding investments through fake cryptocurrency applications.

(With inputs from agencies.)