The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday chargesheeted five accused, including two foreign nationals, in a case of human trafficking and cyber fraud syndicates operating within and outside the country.
Two of the chargesheeted accused, Jerry Jacob and Godfrey Alvares, are under arrest and three others–Sunny Gonsalves as well as foreign nationals Niu Niu and Elvis Du–are still on the run.
The chargesheet filed before a special NIA court in Mumbai revealed the involvement of several foreign nationals in the case, which the agency is probing.
As per NIA probe, the accused were targeting Indian youth who were proficient in computers and English language, 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 Laos via Thailand. Upon arrival, the victims were trained in the use of Facebook, Telegram, basics of cryptocurrency, and handling of apps created by the fraud company.
The 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, threats to kill, threats to rape in case of women, threat to arraign in false case of drugs in local police station, an officer said.
As per the chargesheet, the accused even deleted the data of the victims’ mobile phones to destroy evidence. The victims faced threats if they approached the concerned embassy or local authority, an official said.
He added that in some cases, the victims were held in scam compounds, confined without food for three to seven days and tortured if they refused to work.
They were only released after extraction of extortion payments, ranging from Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 1,80,000,or intervention by the Embassy of India in Laos on complaints made by the victims.
Further investigations to unearth the complete racket and identify the other accused involved, are being carried out, added the official.
