The Mumbai police, currently investigating a cyber slavery case involving five individuals trafficked to Laos under the pretext of job offers in Thailand, arrested the prime accused on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, officials said.
The accused, identified as Salman Munir Shaikh, was apprehended by the south region cyber police station team from Nayanagar in Mira Road, an official said.
Shaikh had been operating as an agent, allegedly sending people to Laos by offering them lucrative call centre jobs.
According to officials, he promised data entry positions at a Thailand-based company with a monthly salary of Rs 70,000 to five individuals in August 2024.
A complainant and his friend, who expressed interest in the offer, paid Rs 30,000 each to Shaikh for visa processing and airfare.
Initially, Shaikh sent them to Thailand, from where they were transported to Laos in a private vehicle and handed over to a Chinese national.
Once in Laos, the victims were forced to work in a call centre involved in duping individuals and extorting money through social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, the official added.
During their captivity, the accused confiscated the victims' passports and restricted their movement, preventing them from leaving the premises.
The traffickers also demanded 20,000 Chinese yuan from each victim to allow them to return home.
Meanwhile, a couple from Vadodara say their 28-year-old son has been held captive for five months in Thailand, prompting the police to launch a probe into the matter.
Nagarbhai Ranpara and his wife Rita say their son Tushar was incommunicado for the last five months and suspect he has been held captive in Thailand by agents who persuaded him to move to the Southeast Asian country nearly a year ago.
The couple submitted an application to the Sama police station in Vadodara a couple of days ago and sought their help to trace their son and bring him back home.
In view of the seriousness of the matter, the probe has been handed over to the Vadodara city crime branch, Assistant Commissioner of Police G B Bambhaniya said on Wednesday.
"As per the application submitted by Tushar's parents, he went to Dubai in April last year to work in a private firm with the help of two local immigration agents. Then, a Dubai-based agent named Abhishek Kumar sent him to Thailand in September 2024. The couple claimed Tushar stopped communicating with them five months ago," Bambhaniya said.
"The couple suspects their son has been held captive and is being forced to work without his consent. The probe has been handed over to the crime branch to trace Tushar and contact him as soon as possible," the official stated.
Ranpara appealed to the Gujarat and central governments to trace his son and bring him home. "He remained in contact via video and voice calls after reaching Thailand last year. But his calls have stopped coming for the last five months."
"We suspect agents involved in sending him to Thailand took away his phone and held him captive. We appeal to the state government and the Centre to bring back our son," the father told reporters