The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Krishna Kumar Lakhwani, a Kanpur-based recruiter, for allegedly sending Indians to "cyber-slavery compounds" in Southeast Asia, where they were allegedly forced to run scams targeting people back home.
The accused allegedly lured young people through advertisements promising lucrative jobs abroad, such as data entry or customer support roles, news agency PTI reported, citing officials.
He reportedly charged $300-400 to get people the jobs he promised and to set up interviews. After ‘selection’, the job seekers would be transported abroad to Southeast Asian countries.
The accused allegedly made travel arrangements, and many were transported through Delhi to Cambodia, where they were coerced into participating in cyber-fraud operations, the CBI officials said.
The victims were subjected to intimidation, confiscation of passports and, in some cases, wrongful confinement in what the central agency called the "cyber scam compounds", where they were allegedly forced to engage in cybercriminal activities, including digital arrests and other scams targeting unsuspecting people.
These people worked under threats and abusive conditions, turning them into "cyber slaves".
The accused was nabbed after being tracked and intercepted upon his return to India from a foreign trip.
Several videos were found following the examination of the accused’s mobile phone in the presence of witnesses, showing him interviewing candidates for recruitment to the said scam compounds in Southeast Asian countries.
Images of passports of multiple Indian candidates allegedly recruited by him for these centres in Cambodia were also recovered.
