Thane, Oct 5 : The Mira-Bhayander, Vasai-Virar (MBVV) police in Maharashtra have arrested two persons for allegedly trafficking Indian youth to Thailand and Myanmar for cyber slavery and collecting ransom to free them, officials said on Sunday.
The arrests were made on the complaints of two young men, who returned to India after paying Rs 6 lakh each to escape torture and cybercrime they were made to commit on foreign soil.
The MBVV police said that Asif Khan alias Nepali, a resident of Mira Road in Thane district, sent two local youth to Thailand in August 2025, promising them jobs. From there, they were trafficked across the border to Myanmar and forced into cybercrime activities.
Senior inspector Sushilkumar Shinde of the crime unit told PTI that the two were allegedly held captive and made to work for a company named UU8, operating out of Myanmar and managed by Leo, a Chinese national, and Steve Anna, an Indian.
The duo was forced to create fake Facebook profiles using the identities of Indian women to befriend potential victims, mainly Indians living abroad. They were then trained to persuade these targets to invest in cryptocurrency and Bitcoin schemes, he said.
The victims told the police that they were tortured if they refused to cooperate. To secure their release, they paid Rs 6 lakh each, which was transferred into five Indian bank accounts. The two returned to India a few days ago and approached the police.
While Asif Khan, the main recruiting agent, was arrested from Mira Road, one Rohit Kumar Mardana, a Visakhapatnam resident who received a part of the ransom, was taken into custody from Surat, he said.
Further investigations are underway to trace the money trail and identify other operatives involved in India and abroad, the official said. (PTI)
