A view of the CBI headquarters in Delhi. Image file
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a person who allegedly acted as a “pivot” in trafficking unsuspecting Indians for cyber fraud operating in Myanmar.
The accused has been identified as Sunil Nellathu Ramakrishnan alias Krish, a resident of Mumbai. During the CBI investigation, he emerged as one of the main “middlemen” in a network of traffickers through which victims were illegally transported for exploitation in fraud centers in Southeast Asia.
The agency kept a close eye on his activities and arrested him soon after he returned to India. Searches of his living quarters led to the seizure of digital evidence allegedly linked to human trafficking operations in Myanmar and Cambodia.
Fraud centers are mainly operated in the KK Park area of the Myawaddy region, the agency said. Human trafficking syndicates lure potential victims under the guise of lucrative job opportunities in Thailand. They are first taken from Delhi to Bangkok and then secretly diverted to Myanmar where they are forced to work in cyber fraud centers.
“At these facilities, victims are forced to engage in various cyber scams, including ‘digital arrest’ scams, romance scams and cryptocurrency investment schemes targeting people around the world, including India,” the statement said.
Law enforcement agencies have recorded testimony revealing that trafficked individuals are subjected to arbitrary detention, constant intimidation, physical and psychological abuse, and severe restrictions on their movement.
In 2025, several Indian nationals managed to escape from these fraudulent compounds and reach Thailand, from where they were repatriated to India in March and November 2025. The CBI conducted detailed interviews with victims to get a clear picture of the modus operandi of human trafficking networks and gather details of cyber fraud hubs.
Based on the inputs, the agency conducts investigations to identify key actors, including foreign nationals, who were part of these networks.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is also investigating several cases related to human trafficking, through which job seekers were imprisoned and forced into ‘cyber slavery’. It also raided premises suspected to be pipelines across several states, including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and Maharashtra. They had connections in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.
Published – 26 March 2026 22:51 IST
