CBI Raids 4 States in Human Trafficking Probe

New Delhi: The CBI on Wednesday conducted searches at nine places across four states and arrested a person from Lucknow in connection with the human trafficking case involving Indian nationals sent to Southeast Asia with the promise of jobs abroad. Following a nationwide investigation in which victim statements were recorded, coordinated raids were carried out in Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Kashipur and parts of Gonda and Saharanpur districts of Uttar Pradesh.

The agency said it conducted “detailed financial analysis, including monitoring of cryptocurrency transactions” to identify those involved in the network. During the searches, electronic devices containing criminal elements were seized. A person was arrested in Lucknow for his alleged role in facilitating the operations. The agency said initial findings showed agents “received payments from operators of fraudulent compounds” in exchange for supplying Native Americans.

According to the CBI, victims were lured with “promises of high-paying employment” and taken to fraud centers in countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia, where they were forced to engage in cyber fraud activities in conditions described as “cyber slavery”.

Victims face “serious restrictions on movement” and passports are often confiscated upon arrival, the agency said, adding that there have been cases of “physical and psychological abuse”. In many cases, victims were forced to arrange ransom payments from their families in order to be released.