The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested one person following massive searches across Nashik in Maharashtra in connection with the alleged human trafficking and cyber frauds case.
Sudarshan Darade of Nashik is the sixth person to be arrested in the case in less than three weeks. NIA had earlier,on May 27 2024, arrested five other accused after multi-state searches in joint operations with the respective state police forces.
Friday searches led to the seizure of several incriminating materials, including documents, digital devices, details of bank accounts which the NIA is examining to unravel the conspiracy behind the human trafficking and forced cyber fraud case. NIA had taken over the case from Mumbai police on May 13 after preliminary findings revealed a nationwide nexus between the traffickers and cyber fraudsters, operating on orders from international syndicates.
Investigations have reportedly revealed that Darade was directly involved in the organized trafficking syndicate, engaged in luring and trafficking Indian youth to foreign countries on the false promises of legal employment. The youth were being forced to work in fake call centers at Laos, Golden Triangle SEZ, and Cambodia, among other places, through elaborate syndicates, controlled and operated mainly by foreign nationals. These syndicates were connected to operatives based in various parts of India, as well as other countries like UAE and Vietnam, besides Cambodia, Laos SEZ etc.
All the accused arrested so far had been working in close collusion with traffickers operating from across the international border to illegally transport Indian youth from Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam to Laos SEZ. These trafficked youth were further coerced into undertaking illegal activities online, such as credit card fraud, investments in Crypto currency using fake applications, honey trapping etc., as per the NIA investigations, which are continuing.
