The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) launched an operation on Tuesday. They went after a group that tricks people into going to Asian countries with fake job offers. This group then forces them to do cybercrime. The CBI did raids in four states. They looked for people and groups that might be linked to this crime.
The CBI searched nine places in Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. They were looking into a human trafficking and cyber fraud problem in Southeast Asia. The people who do this allegedly tell Indians they can have good jobs in countries like Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.
The CBI found out that these people promise jobs in customer service, digital marketing, IT support and data entry. They use recruitment agencies and social media to do this. When the people get to these countries they take away their passports. Make them work in places that do cyber scams. These scams include things like cryptocurrency scams and financial extortion. They target people from countries.
The CBI started this operation because they got tips and complaints from victims and their families. They think this group is linked to international crime groups that run scam centers in Southeast Asia. These groups use messaging, fake job papers and fake companies to get people to join.
The CBI took things from the places they raided like computers, financial papers, passports and fake job letters. Now they are trying to see if these people are linked to cybercrime groups and people who help with illegal immigration. Many suspects are being questioned.
This operation shows that there is a problem with “cyber slavery” groups in Southeast Asia. Many people from countries like India, China, Nepal, Bangladesh and some African countries have been tricked into going to these places. They are forced to do online fraud. If they do not do what they are told they are hurt, threatened or locked up.
Indian agencies have been trying to stop this and help people who have been hurt. Some Indian people came home and told scary stories about what happened to them in these scam places. The CBI arrested a boss of another group that was doing the same thing earlier this year.
Experts who know about cybersecurity say these scam groups are very organized and make a lot of money. They have places with good communication systems and they target people all around the world. They do investment schemes, romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud and more. Many people who are forced to work for them have to do it for a time and are watched all the time.
The Ministry of External Affairs and Indian embassies in Southeast Asia have told people to be careful when looking for jobs in countries. They say to check if the employer and the job are real before going. They also say to be careful of job ads that offer much money and free travel.
Law experts think this operation by the CBI could show that there is an international group doing these crimes. The CBI will work with countries and Interpol to investigate. They might do raids and arrests as they find out more, about the people involved in this crime.
