Jagtial police bust gang trafficking youth to Laos for cyber fraud, five arrested

The district police arrested five members of a gang that trafficked youth to Laos by promising overseas jobs and forced them into cyber fraud. Victims were sent via Thailand, had passports seized and were coerced into online scams.

Jagtial: The district police busted a gang involved in illegally trafficking youth to Laos under the pretext of overseas employment and forcing them into cyber fraud activities. Five gang members were arrested.
Producing the accused before the media at the district police headquarters here on Friday, Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar explained the modus operandi of the gang. The arrested persons were identified as Islavath Vijayender alias Andrew of Obulapur Thanda in Mallapur mandal, Meesala Rajashekar of Pembatla in Sarangapur mandal, Dandugula Kalyan of Rangapet, Shyam Rao of Dharmapuri and Raju of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

The prime accused, Vijayender, went to Laos in November 2024 and joined a cyber fraud network operating there. Network organisers promised to pay him a commission of 13,000 Yuan, approximately Rs.1.75 lakh, for each person recruited and sent to Laos. Subsequently, he began recruiting youth from Jagtial and surrounding areas under the guise of call centre jobs in Bangkok. The accused collected amounts ranging from Rs.75,000 to Rs.1.05 lakh from each victim. The victims were initially sent to Thailand, Bangkok, on tourist visas and later illegally transported across the border to the Golden Triangle region of Laos through agents, the SP said., adding that there, they were forced to work in cyber call centres allegedly operated by Chinese companies.
Fake social media accounts were created using the names of American influencers, targeting primarily Indians residing in the United States for online financial fraud. Victims who refused to cooperate were threatened and their passports were confiscated to prevent their return. Based on a complaint lodged by one of the victims, a case was registered at the Jagtial Rural police station and an investigation was initiated. A lookout circular was issued against the prime accused.

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On February 17, Vijayender was apprehended at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and brought to Jagtial for further investigation. During interrogation, the involvement of the other accused came to light, and they were subsequently arrested. Four mobile phones, key documents and foreign travel-related papers were seized from their possession. All the accused were remanded to judicial custody.
The SP advised the public not to trust suspicious agents promising overseas jobs and quick visa processing. He emphasised the importance of verifying official websites and government recognition before applying for jobs abroad. He advised victims of cyber fraud to immediately contact the 1930 cyber helpline or approach the nearest police station.