New Delhi: In a significant step towards dismantling the international human trafficking
syndicate, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on 9 October charge-sheeted five
accused in the Lao PDR cyber fraud and human trafficking racket, run by a Delhi-based consultancy firm.
The accused have been identified as Manzoor Alam @ Guddu, Sahil, Ashish @ Akhil,
Pawan Yadav @ Afzal @ Afroz, along with the key conspirator, Kamran Haider @Zaidi.
NIA investigations have revealed that all five were involved in trafficking vulnerable
Indian youth to the Golden Triangle Region in Lao PDR where they were forced to
commit cyber scams targeting European and American citizens. They operated
through the consultancy firm, Ali International Services, which functioned as a front
for human trafficking.
Zaidi had facilitated the entire operation and was also involved in extorting
money through cryptocurrency wallets from victims who tried to escape the clutches
of the Chinese scammers, as per NIA investigation. Pawan Yadav bypassed the other
middle agents to supply the trafficked persons in place of jobs directly to his folds. He
further employed them in Chinese companies involved in creating fake Facebook
profiles, chatting with persons from the USA and Europe, and convincing them to
invest in cryptocurrency apps as part of the cyber scam.
The NIA investigations in the case, originally registered in New Delhi, have revealed a
well-organized network of traffickers and touts involved in various illegal activities.
These ranged from the operation of unlicensed manpower supply agencies to illegal
transfer/ transport of potential victims for criminal activities in South Eastern Asian
countries. The charge-sheeted accused were directly involved in arranging flight tickets
and documents, and in facilitating illegal border crossings with the help of contacts in
the Golden Triangle Region.