An Indian man has been arrested for allegedly trafficking Indian citizens to Myanmar, where they were forced to participate in cyber scams, highlighting the global reach of cybercrime and human trafficking.
Key Points
- An Indian national has been arrested for allegedly trafficking Indian citizens to cyber scam compounds in Myanmar.
- Victims were lured with promises of lucrative jobs in Thailand but were then forced to work in cyber scam centres in Myanmar.
- The cyber scams included digital arrest, romance fraud, and cryptocurrency investment scams targeting victims globally.
- Trafficked individuals faced wrongful confinement, intimidation, and physical and mental abuse.
- The arrest followed interviews with victims repatriated from Thailand, revealing the kingpin's role in the trafficking network.
The CBI has arrested the alleged kingpin of a racket trafficking unsuspecting Indian citizens to cyber scam compounds in Myanmar, officials said on Thursday.
The accused, Mumbai resident Sunil Nellathu Ramakrishnan, was allegedly supplying employment-seeking Indian citizens to cyber slavery compounds in Myanmar, particularly in the Myawaddy region (notably KK Park), where they were coerced to scam people, they said.
"Investigations have revealed the existence of organised transnational criminal syndicates that lure victims on the pretext of lucrative job opportunities in Thailand.
"The victims are initially transported from Delhi to Bangkok and are thereafter clandestinely diverted to Myanmar, where they are forced to work in cyber scam centres," a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
Once trapped, the victims were forced to execute various cyber frauds such as digital arrest, romance fraud, and cryptocurrency investment scams targeting victims across the globe, including India, the statement said.
"The trafficked individuals are subjected to wrongful confinement, constant intimidation, physical and mental abuse, with severe restrictions on their movement," it said.
Unravelling the Trafficking Network
The agency unravelled the modus operandi of rackets supplying manpower to these cyber slavery compounds by conducting detailed interviews of victims who were repatriated from Thailand in March and November 2025.
"The role of Sunil alias Krish emerged as one of the main facilitators and kingpins in the trafficking network, who played a crucial role in the illegal transportation and exploitation of victims in Southeast Asia," the spokesperson said.
Sunil was kept under close surveillance and was arrested soon after he landed in Mumbai.
"Subsequently, searches were conducted at his residential premises, leading to the seizure of incriminating digital evidence linked to trafficking operations in Myanmar and Cambodia," the statement said.
