New Delhi, March 15 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a man from Kanpur who recruited Indian nationals to carry out organised cyber fraud operations from Cambodia, an official said on Sunday.
Krishna Kumar Lakhwani, a resident of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was functioning as an agent to hunt “cyber slaves” for syndicates operating scam compounds in Cambodia, said the CBI Official.
It was alleged that he was collecting $300-400 from Indian candidates and facilitating their travel to Cambodia via Delhi, using different routes, where they were subsequently forced to commit online fraud targeting victims in India, he said in a statement.
Lakhwani was tracked based on source information and surveillance, and he was intercepted upon his arrival in India and brought to the CBI office for questioning, it said.
During examination of his mobile phone in the presence of witnesses, several videos were found showing him interviewing candidates for recruitment to the scam compounds, the statement said.
Images of passports of multiple Indian candidates allegedly recruited by him for these centres in Cambodia were also recovered, it said.
Investigation revealed that the accused was part of a criminal syndicate involved in illegally recruiting Indian nationals for trafficking to overseas scam compounds, the CBI said.
The syndicate allegedly used fraudulent job offers with attractive salaries to lure unsuspecting individuals abroad, where they were subjected to illegal confinement and forced to participate in cyber fraud operations targeting victims globally, including in India, it said.
The CBI said information received indicated that organised cybercrime syndicates have established scam compounds in certain foreign countries to carry out large-scale cyber fraud targeting Indian citizens while evading the reach of Indian law enforcement agencies.
Indian nationals are allegedly lured with promises of lucrative employment opportunities such as data entry or customer support jobs. After being taken abroad through various routes, they are coerced into participating in online frauds, including digital arrest scams and identity theft, the CBI said.
Victims brought to these compounds are reportedly subjected to intimidation, wrongful confinement, and coercion, and are forced to engage in cybercriminal activities under threats and abusive conditions. Such trafficked individuals are often referred to as “cyber slaves”, it said.
--IANS
rch/dan