New Delhi, February 18 The National Investigation Agency filed a chargesheet against three accused, including a missing suspected Chinese national, on Wednesday in a human trafficking and cyber fraud racket based in Myanmar, targeting citizens of the UK, the US, and Canada, officials said.
In the chargesheet filed before the NIA special court in Panchkula, Haryana, the agency said it has exposed a "well-organized network of traffickers and touts".
The accused – Ankit Kumar alias Ankit Bharadwaj, Ishtikhar Ali alias Ali, and the absconding Chinese national Lisa – have been charged under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 24 of the Emigration Act, the agency said in a statement.
"NIA investigations revealed that the three, along with known and unknown associates, were involved in trafficking vulnerable Indian youth to the Myawaddy region of Myanmar," it said.
The agency, which had taken over the case from the Haryana Police, added that the accused were involved in various illegal activities ranging from the unlicensed recruitment of Indian citizens abroad to the illicit transfer of victims for criminal operations in Southeast Asia.
According to the NIA, Ankit Kumar and Ishtikhar Ali, who have been arrested, lured Indian youth by offering "legitimate jobs" in Thailand and coordinated online interviews with Myanmar-based Chinese national Lisa.
"The victims were deceived by presenting Lisa as a genuine recruiter and were made to believe that they would be provided secure jobs in Thailand," the statement said, adding that the accused arranged transportation of the victims from India to Myanmar "illegally via Thailand".
Upon reaching Myanmar, the trafficked youth were forced to work in cyber scam companies, the agency said.
"They were made to create fake social media profiles and engage with people in the USA, the UK, and Canada to convince them to invest through fraudulent cryptocurrency apps," it said.
The NIA said that "upon refusal, the victims were confined and coerced to continue," and were also forced to pay "substantial amounts for their release".