New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday conducted a multi-state search operation in connection with the Laos human trafficking and cyber fraud case. Searches were conducted at five locations in Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan as part of the agency’s crackdown on individuals and travel agents involved in the trafficking of vulnerable youth from India to the Golden Triangle SEZ in Laos.
The searches led to the seizure of incriminating materials, including digital devices and documents, the NIA said. The targeted locations were premises associated with aides and offices of the key accused, Balwant alias Bobby Kataria. The NIA investigations revealed that the suspects were allegedly handling the victims in trafficking and also managing their logistics and recruitment to a cyber fraud company in Laos.
The human trafficking syndicate under the scanner was operating from Gurugram and other regions within and outside India. It related to the recruitment, transportation and transfer of the victims from India to the Golden Triangle SEZ in Laos.
Initial investigations in the case, originally registered by the Gurugram police and taken over by NIA earlier this month revealed that the suspects whose premises were searched on Friday had been working for accused Balwant alias Bobby Kataria, owner of MBK Global Visa Private Limited in Delhi, Haryana, and Rajasthan. “They were instrumental in enticing youth with the promise of lucrative jobs in foreign countries,” the agency said.
“Victims proficient in English were lured through social media channels and fraudulently sent to Laos where they were forced to work in fake call centres. They were physically abused and their travel documents were taken away if they refused to cooperate,” the investigation revealed.
