National Investigation Agency said Indian youth were lured abroad with fake job offers, had their passports seized
May 16, 2026: National Investigation Agency has filed a chargesheet against five people, including alleged mastermind Anand Kumar Singh alias Munna, in a human trafficking and cyber slavery case linked to Cambodia. The other accused named in the case are Abhay Nath Dubey, Abhiranjan Kumar, Rohit Yadav and Prahlad Kumar Singh. According to the agency, the accused lured Indian youth with promises of legitimate overseas jobs and attractive salaries before trafficking them to Cambodia.
The NIA said victims were forced to work for scam companies after reaching Cambodia, where their passports were confiscated. The agency alleged that victims faced mental and physical torture, including electric shocks, confinement and denial of food and water if they resisted. Investigators identified Anand Kumar Singh as the kingpin of the syndicate, alleging that he worked with associates in Cambodia and used agents and travel facilitators in India to recruit victims. The NIA claimed he charged between USD 2,000 and 3,000 for each youth sent abroad.
Indian agencies have been investigating several cyber slavery and trafficking networks operating in Southeast Asia. Authorities previously brought back nearly 1,000 Indian citizens from similar “slave compounds” in Myanmar. The Central Bureau of Investigation has also stated that the scam centres operating in Myanmar and nearby regions were linked to large-scale digital arrest frauds targeting Indians, with operations allegedly controlled by masterminds based in Cambodia, China and Hong Kong.