New Delhi, Aug 19: The CBI has arrested a member of a human trafficking gang allegedly sending Indians to scam compounds operating in Southeast Asia for “cyber slavery” after luring them with promises of lucrative overseas jobs, officials said Wednesday.
The victims, lured by attractive job opportunities in foreign land, were allegedly taken to Myanmar and Cambodia, where they were subjected to conditions described as “cyber slavery”, the agency spokesperson said in a statement.
The agency arrested Ankit, a resident of Haryana’s Hisar, who had allegedly sent at least four individuals from the area to scam compounds in 2025.
Cyber slavery refers to a form of digital exploitation where individuals are trafficked or coerced — often through fraud or force — into performing cybercrimes such as online scams, phishing or fraud operations, typically under abusive and inhumane conditions.
The CBI, which interviewed the victims, found a “disturbing pattern of deception and exploitation” as some of them paid a significant amount to return home from these
scam compounds or had to lure in a substitute to be able to leave the scam compound and return, the spokesperson said.
“Incriminating evidence has been recovered from seized mobile device, indicating his nexus with recruiters in scam compounds in Myanmar and Cambodia. Numerous cryptocurrency related transactions are also under investigation, as being part of commissions paid by scam compound operators to the agent,” it said.
He has also revealed use of social media platforms like Instagram to publish advertisements to lure victims and also the use of messaging apps like Telegram for communication, it said.
The CBI is probing the case against network of agent behind this trafficking since December, 2025
“Earlier, in May and June 2026, the CBI conducted coordinated searches at eight locations across four states as part of the same investigation and arrested three accused involved in the trafficking network,” the spokesperson said. (PTI)
