E-Paper
Court extends NIA custody of Nashik man arrested in international job racket
NIA custody of Sudarshan Darade extended for 7 days in international job racket case involving human trafficking syndicate; accused linked to Chinese nationals.
MUMBAI: A special court on Wednesday extended the NIA (National Investigation Agency) custody of Sudarshan Darade for an additional seven days. Darade was arrested earlier this month in connection with an international job racket case.
Darade was arrested for his alleged involvement in an international human trafficking syndicate for luring young aspiring job seekers from India and subjecting them to poor working conditions at Laos, the Golden Triangle SEZ along the Mekong River in Laos, and Cambodia, among other places.
He was first produced before the NIA court on June 15, after which he was remanded to police custody until today. The other two accused, Jerry Philips Jacob and Godfrey Alvaris, were arrested in March following a complaint by a 23-year-old victim.
Darade, who is an employee of a Dubai based company, was accused of being part of the syndicate run by the main accused. The accused illegally transported youths from India along the international border by promising them jobs and taking away their passports. The accused further tortured them and forced them to be a part of other illegal activities, as per the NIA.
Special public prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves stated that the case was serious in nature, and they needed the custody of Darade for electronic investigation. Further, the NIA also pointed out the international network in the case, since the accused has named two Chinese nationals. Darade’s counsel Devendra Avhad submitted that Darade had nothing to do with the main accused and had only followed the directions of his employer.
The special judge AM Patil observed that the interrogation of the accused in police custody is necessary. The court directed him to police custody for seven more days. The NIA had taken over the probe from the crime branch on May 25, 2024, citing an international human trafficking racket. Jacobs and Alvares are currently in judicial custody and are being interrogated by the NIA.