CBI arrests human trafficking ‘kingpin’ in Myanmar-based cyber scam compounds case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a person for allegedly acting as a “kingpin” in trafficking unsuspecting Indians to cyber scam compounds operating in Myanmar.

The accused has been identified as Sunil Nellathu Ramakrishnan, alias Krish, a resident of Mumbai. During the CBI probe, he emerged as one of the main “facilitators” in the trafficking network, through which victims were being illegally transported for exploitation in the scam centres in Southeast Asia.

The agency kept a close watch on his activities and arrested him soon after he returned to India. Searches on his residential premises led to the seizure of digital evidence allegedly linked to human trafficking operations in Myanmar and Cambodia.

The scam centres are being run particularly in the KK Park area of the Myawaddy region, said the agency. The human trafficking syndicates lure the prospective victims on the pretext of lucrative job opportunities in Thailand. They are initially taken from Delhi to Bangkok and thereafter secretly diverted to Myanmar, where they are forced to work in the cyber scam centres.

“At these facilities, victims are coerced into engaging in various cyber frauds, including ‘digital arrest’ scams, romance frauds, and cryptocurrency investment schemes targeting people across the globe, including India,” it said.

The enforcement agencies have recorded testimonies revealing that the trafficked individuals are subjected to wrongful confinement, constant intimidation, physical and mental abuse, and severe restrictions on their movement.

In 2025, several Indian nationals had managed to escape from those scam compounds and reach Thailand, from where they were repatriated to India in March and November 2025. The CBI conducted detailed interviews of the victims to get a clear picture of the modus operandi of the human trafficking networks and gather details of the cyber fraud centres.

Based on the inputs, the agency is carrying out investigations to identify the key operatives, including foreign nationals, who were part of those networks.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also been probing multiple cases related to human trafficking rackets through which job seekers were trapped and forced into “cyber slavery”. It also raided premises suspected to be conduits across several States, including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and Maharashtra. They had links in countries like the United Arab Emirates, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos.