E-Paper
CBI nabs Hisar man for ‘cyber slavery’, trafficking of Indians to Southeast Asia
According to the CBI, the accused, identified as Ankit Kumar of Hisar, was part of a network who recruited Indian citizens by offering attractive employment opportunities in Southeast Asian countries
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a Hisar-based man allegedly involved in a network that trafficked Indian nationals to scam compounds in Southeast Asia on the promise of lucrative overseas jobs.
According to the CBI, the accused, identified as Ankit Kumar of Hisar, was part of a network who recruited Indian citizens by offering attractive employment opportunities in Southeast Asian countries. The victims were subsequently transported to scam compounds, primarily in Myanmar and Cambodia, where they were subjected to conditions described by the agency as “cyber slavery”.
The CBI said its investigation has established that the arrested accused sent at least four people from the Hisar area to scam compounds in 2025. Statements of the victims have revealed a disturbing pattern of deception and exploitation.
Some of the victims allegedly had to pay substantial amounts of money to secure their release and return to India. In some cases, they were allegedly required to lure another person into the scam compound as a substitute before being allowed to leave and return home.
The agency claimed incriminating evidence was recovered from a mobile phone seized from the accused. The evidence allegedly establishes his links with recruiters and operators running scam compounds in Myanmar and Cambodia.
Investigators are also examining several cryptocurrency-related transactions, which are suspected to be part of commissions paid by operators of the scam compounds to the accused for recruiting and supplying victims.
The CBI said the accused had used social media platforms, including Instagram, to publish advertisements aimed at luring prospective victims with overseas employment opportunities. Messaging applications such as Telegram were allegedly used for communication and coordination with the victims and other members of the network. The agency had registered a case against the network in December 2025.
As part of the investigation, the CBI conducted coordinated searches at eight locations across four states in May and June 2026 and arrested three accused allegedly involved in the trafficking network.
The arrest is expected to help investigators trace the wider network of agents and facilitators involved in recruiting Indians for such overseas operations, besides establishing the financial trail of the alleged commissions paid through cryptocurrency.
The CBI has cautioned citizens to exercise extreme care while responding to overseas job offers circulated through social media platforms, messaging applications or informal contacts.
