Kamran Haider’s arrest on Monday marked a significant step by the agency towards dismantling the international human trafficking syndicate, said the official.
Along with co-accused, Kamran Haider was directly involved in arranging flight tickets and documents for the victims, and in facilitating their illegal border crossings, with the help of contacts in the Golden Triangle Region, he said.
NIA had charge-sheeted Kamran and four others in October 2024 in relation with a network of traffickers and touts involved in various illegal activities. The four co-accused were identified as Manjoor Alam alias Guddu, Sahil, Ashish alias Akhil and Pawan Yadav alias Afzal alias @ Afroz.
All the accused were involved in sending vulnerable Indian youths to the Golden Triangle Region in Lao PDR, where they were forced to commit cyber scams targeting European and American citizens. They operated through a consultancy firm, Ali International Services, which operated as a front for human trafficking, NIA investigations have revealed.
Besides facilitating the entire operation, Kamran Haider was also involved in extorting money through cryptocurrency wallets from victims who tried to escape from the clutches of the Chinese scammers.
Kamran Haider was carrying a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh for his arrest and also had a Non-Bailable Warrant issued against him by Special NIA Court, Patiala House Court, New Delhi.
The Laos human trafficking and cyber slavery case involves taking unsuspecting job-seekers to Laos via Bangkok. In Bangkok, they are allegedly left to fend for themselves or independently reach Laos, bearing the travel costs.
Once in Laos, the victims are forced into illegal cyber activities by creating fake online profiles using female identities and chatting with people in the US and India.