Lured with jobs, Indians forced into cybercrime by Chinese firms in Laos: NIA

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has informed a Panchkula-based NIA special court that Chinese crime syndicates operating in Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand are luring hundreds of Indians with IT sector job offers and forcing them to commit cyber frauds in the US, the UK and India.

Face severe mental, physical abuse

• The revelations have been made in a chargesheet filed against social media influencer Bobby Kataria and two others
• They have been accused of trafficking poor Indians to the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Laos
• Indian job seekers are often recruited through fraudulent job ads on messaging apps and social media
• Once trafficked, the victims are compelled to sign contracts with Chinese firms for at least a year
• They are assigned cyber fraud targets and face severe mental and physical abuse if they fail to meet these
• The punishments include push-ups, staring at clocks for hours and eating Japanese chillies

These revelations were made in a chargesheet filed against social media influencer Bobby Kataria and two others for trafficking poor Indians to the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Laos.

Two individuals — Arun Kumar, a resident of Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh, and his friend Manish Tomar — approached Kataria’s office in Gurugram after viewing his videos on Instagram (Bobby Kataria Official) and YouTube (MBK Ka Sath), which advertised overseas employment opportunities. Kumar was promised a job in the UAE after he paid Rs 1.52 lakh while Tomar was offered employment in Singapore following a payment of Rs 2.57 lakh.

However, both individuals were sent to Laos instead. There, they were taken to an undisclosed Chinese firm and physically assaulted. Their passports were confiscated. They were then forced to commit cyber frauds targeting American citizens.

“The complainant disclosed the presence of about 150 Indians, including women, who were brought to the company by way of human trafficking by brokers like Kataria on the pretext of lucrative jobs. They have been held hostage by Chinese companies,” states the chargesheet.

After two days, Kumar and Tomar managed to escape with the assistance of the Indian Embassy in Laos. Following Kumar’s complaint, the Haryana Police registered an FIR in Gurugram on May 27. Later, the case was handed over to the NIA. During a raid on Kataria’s premises, the authorities recovered Rs 20 lakh and registers detailing transactions.

The NIA has highlighted a growing trend of human trafficking for online scams and financial frauds, particularly in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia and the Philippines. Organised crime groups linked to casinos and hotels operate from compound-like buildings where the victims are harboured and forced to commit cybercrimes.

The NIA stated Indian job seekers were often recruited through fraudulent job advertisements on messaging apps and social media. The victims were compelled to sign contracts with Chinese firms for at least a year and assigned cyberfraud targets and faced severe abuse if they failed to meet these. Their salaries were deducted and they were threatened with being handed over to rebel territories in Myanmar and Thailand. On complete refusal to indulge in a scam, their Chinese managers demanded 25,000 to 30,000 yuan, which was paid to their agents.

An email, dated June 17, to the Indian Embassy by a victim, which is a part of the chargesheet, reveals they were coerced into working 14 to 16 hours daily without any leave.

Kataria used his social media influence to lure job seekers despite his firm lacking a legal licence for overseas employment. The role of Ankit Shokeen, an accomplice of Kataria, was to arrange the tickets for the victims and facilitate their placement in Laos in exchange for payments from various Chinese companies. To deceive the immigration authorities, the victims were “tutored” to show the return tickets and hotel bookings to appear as tourists. These tickets were later cancelled, the NIA stated.

The matter has been posted for arguments on framing of charges on January 7.