From Dream Job to Cybercrime Prison: Telangana Authorities Uncover Horrifying Human Trafficking Scam

Hyderabad: The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) arrested one Sadakat Khan, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly sending Indian job seekers to Cambodia, where they were forced into cybercrime.

Sadakat was apprehended on November 2 at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport while returning from the Maldives. Charges have been filed against him under sections 370, 386, 420, 323, 342, 120-B IPC and Section 24 of the Emigration Act.

The arrest follows the detention of three other agents involved in the scheme, viz. K. Sai Prasad from Jagtial, Mohammed Abid Hussain Ansari from Pune (originally from Bihar) and Mohd. Shadab Alam from Bihar.

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These agents allegedly enticed job seekers with high-paying job offers abroad. The case began with a complaint filed by a Sircilla resident on May 16, 2024, about her son, who had been sent to Cambodia by these agents after paying ?1,40,000. After arrival in Cambodia, he was confined and forced to work up to 17 hours daily in fraudulent cyber acts and his passport was also seized.

He also reported that around 500 to 600 Indians were similarly coerced into cybercrimes. The TGCSB, working with authorities, brought the Sircilla resident back to Telangana, where he described the physical abuse, confinement and threats he suffered.

The scheme involved agents in India luring job seekers with promises of well-paying jobs abroad. Once in Cambodia, the victims were handed over to handlers who forced them into cybercrime. Victims faced torture and confinement if they resisted and were forced to extort money due to threats to their lives. The extortion demands were usually made for payment in Bitcoin.