New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) busted a major human trafficking racket running across the country targeting gullible youths on the pretext of offering lucrative jobs in Russia and abroad.
Searches are being conducted at around 13 locations in Delhi, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Ambala, Chandigarh, Madurai and Chennai. A cash over Rs 50 lakhs, incriminating documents and electronic records including laptops, mobiles, desktops and CCTV footage have been seized so far, CBI claimed on Thursday.
Certain suspects have also been detained for questioning at various locations. So far around 35 instances of victims sent abroad have been established and the identity of more victims are also being established. Investigation is underway, CBI said.
"The traffickers were operating as an organized network and were luring Indian nationals through social media channels and also through their local contacts and agents for highly paid jobs in Russia. Thereafter, the trafficked Indian Nationals were trained in combat roles and deployed at front bases in Russia - Ukraine War Zone against their wishes, thus,putting their lives in grave danger. It has been ascertained that some of the victims also got grievously injured in the war zone," CBI claimed in a communique.
Regarding this, a case of human trafficking was registered on March 6, 2024, against private Visa Consultancy Firms and agents and others who have been found engaged in the trafficking of Indian Nationals to Russia under the guise of better employment and high-paying jobs. The human trafficking network of these agents is spread over several states across the country, CBI officials said.
