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  • February 11, 2025
NIA arrests prime suspect in Laos human trafficking and cyber slavery case

NIA arrests prime suspect in Laos human trafficking and cyber slavery case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday made a major breakthrough in the human trafficking and cyber slavery case in Laos with the arrest of an absconding suspect, who was nabbed with the support of the Special Cell of Delhi Police. Kamran Haider’s arrest marked an important step towards dismantling the international human trafficking syndicate, the NIA said in a statement.

Together with his co-suspect, Haider is said to have been directly involved in arranging airline tickets and documents for the victims and facilitating their “illegal border crossings” with the help of contacts in the Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle refers to a large, mountainous region that includes parts of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos.

The NIA had charged Haider and four others in October in the case involving a well-organized network of human traffickers and smugglers involved in various illegal activities, the NIA said. The four co-accused were identified as Manjoor Alam alias Guddu, Sahil, Ashish alias Akhil, and Pawan Yadav alias Afzal alias Afroz.

All the suspects were “actively involved” in sending vulnerable Indian youths to the Golden Triangle in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos), where they were allegedly coerced into committing cyber scams targeting European and US citizens, the NIA said. They operated through a consultancy firm, Ali International Services, which acted as a front for human trafficking, NIA investigation shows.

Besides facilitating the entire operation, Haider is also alleged to have been involved in extorting money through cryptocurrency wallets from victims trying to escape the clutches of Chinese scammers. Haider was carrying a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh for information leading to his arrest and also had a warrant issued against him by the Special NIA Court, Patiala House Courts, New Delhi, the agency said. The NIA investigation into the case continues, it added.