Maharashtra police arrest four in cyber-slavery racket that trafficked man to Myanmar

Police believe many more are trapped. Representation Pic/istock

The Maharashtra Cyber Police have arrested four individuals for their involvement in a cyber-slavery racket, in which a 36-year-old man was trafficked to Myanmar and forced into cyber-fraud operations. The victim, a call centre employee, told police that he was offered a job in Thailand that matched his profile. However, he was instead taken to Myanmar and forced to work for a cyber-fraud company named ‘Zuxi'.

Upon arrival, he was told to carry out online scams. When he refused and asked to be sent back to India, he was told to pay USD 3600 for his release. Unable to pay, he was allegedly tortured and coerced into continuing the fraudulent work. After eventually managing to return to India, he approached the police and lodged a complaint.

Based on his statements, four people were booked and arrested by the police. Identified as Aditya Ravichandran aka Tyson, Rupnarayan Gupta, Talanity Nulasky and Jency Rani Daniel, they were a group who lured people with lucrative job offers in Thailand, and pushed them into the world of cyber-slavery.

"They are repeat offenders, and have several cases against them with the same modus operandi. They are connected with the international cyber-criminal networks and get paid for every victim that they send from India," the official added. Senior officials said that Zuxi is a cyber-fraud company operating out of Myanmar, where victims are lured with promises of legitimate employment abroad but are instead trafficked and forced to work under duress.

"Zuxi is part of a larger network run by organised criminal syndicates that exploit legal loopholes and basic human rights," said an official. The company's modus operandi includes confiscating victims' passports, subjecting them to harsh working conditions, and compelling them to execute online scams targeting people across the globe. "We have rescued several victims in the past, but our intel suggests that many more Indians remain trapped there, not just in Zuxi but in similar companies as well," said an official.

Officials added that such cyber-slavery rackets also operate in Cambodia, Laos, and other Southeast Asian countries. The scams typically include phishing, courier fraud, cryptocurrency cons, and other online frauds. Victims who refuse to comply with orders are often subjected to physical abuse, starvation, and various forms of torture. Further investigations to rescue more Indians and dismantle the syndicates that push Indians to cyber-slavery are underway.

$3600
Amount the victim was told to pay in order to return to India