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  • February 18, 2025
NIA court denies bail to trio arrested in human trafficking case | Mumbai News

NIA court denies bail to trio arrested in human trafficking case | Mumbai News

MUMBAI: A special court appointed under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act has denied bail to three persons arrested in connection with an international human trafficking case. The suspects are alleged to have lured Indian men with promises of well-paying foreign jobs, only to subject them to torture and forced labor in the Golden Triangle – a region at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers, straddling the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and India. Laos.

NIA court denies bail to trio arrested in human trafficking case
NIA court denies bail to trio arrested in human trafficking case

The NIA arrested the three suspects – Sudarshan Darade, Jerry Jacobs and Godfrey Thomas – in June 2024. They are accused of running an organized human trafficking syndicate. According to the NIA, Jacobs, 46, had been running an unregistered recruitment agency since 2021, targeting individuals in India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

According to the investigation, Darade had signed a recruitment agreement with Jacobs to recruit approximately 1,000 youth for LongSheng Company, where Jacobs and Thomas worked as recruitment agents. The suspect allegedly engaged sub-agents and an HR manager to prepare fraudulent offer letters for the victims.

The Public Prosecution Service revealed to the court that the victims had been ordered to carry 10,000 to 20,000 for personal expenses in Thailand. Once in Thailand, Jacobs allegedly transported the victims by boat across the Mekong River to Laos, where they were introduced to the other suspects.

Upon arrival, the victims, who entered on tourist visas, were assigned as call center operators or live chat agents. They were given pre-written scripts, multiple iPhones, more than 100 pre-activated SIM cards from India and Laos, and access to hacked bank accounts with fake profiles. Their job was to convince unsuspecting customers to invest in cryptocurrency through fraudulent apps developed by the company.

When victims resisted or refused to participate in the scam, they were reportedly subjected to serious threats, including death, mutilation and sexual assault. The public prosecutor also noted that the suspect has accused the victims 30,000 to 1.2 lakh for securing jobs at LongSheng Company. In addition, some victims had to pay in between 50,000 and 80,000 to secure their release from the scam complexes in Laos’ Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone.

In a detailed order dated December 6, Special Judge BD Shelke noted that the suspects were actively involved in recruiting and sending youths under the guise of legitimate employment, thereby furthering the criminal conspiracy orchestrated by the human trafficking syndicate. The court noted that the victims were exploited for illegal online cyber scams and that the suspect played a crucial role in enabling these activities.

Citing the serious nature and seriousness of the facts, the court ruled that the three suspects were not entitled to bail. The case highlights the urgent need for stronger safeguards against human trafficking and stricter supervision of recruitment agencies.