Bharat’s digital growth story has been an exceptional one. While it has ensured ease of living for millions, there are also some caveats that it comes with, the biggest one being a cybercrime.
Bharat is increasingly tackling the menace of cyber slavery, and this phenomenon has targeted thousands of Indian men and women. Investigations are ongoing, and it has been revealed that the perpetrators of these crimes are not just based in Bharat but are operating well-oiled machinery from different countries.
Cyber Slavery
Investigations have brought to the forefront a hue racket operating out of Southeast Asia. Cells have been set up to target people in the country, and these seamsters have been successful to a large extent. Cyber slavery is a concept in which a person is lured into committing cyber crimes under duress. Investigators took into account the details provided by scores of individuals who had become victims of cyber slavery.
The probe led the agencies to Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar from where cyber slavery cells are operating. They trap individuals by luring them with fake jobs. Once the victim falls trap, they are then trafficked, tortured and forced to commit cyber crimes.
In several cases, it has been found that the victims are trapped on WhatsApp. It was found that these cells operating from the above-mentioned countries have set up their cells in gated complexes and beachside casinos. These victims are lured with job opportunities and eventually trapped. Many have landed in these casinos, where they are tortured and made to work under inhuman conditions.
Cyber slavery is, however, not a new phenomenon, and it has been around for nearly a decade. However, an increase in the number of such cases was reported in the COVID-19 era.
In one of the cases, the investigators learnt about a harrowing experience that a teenager underwent. She received a message on her phone from an unknown sender. The message had a scenic image, and upon clicking on the same, she was led to more images that contained explicit content. She deleted the message, but in the meantime, the perpetrators used stenography to programme recurring images. She was drawn back out of curiosity, and this was when she was trapped.
Cyber exploited trafficking in persons (CETEIP)
The CETIP has become a common feature and a major headache for law enforcement agencies. In one case, a girl was lured by an offer to work at a plush mall in Delhi.
Lured by this lucrative offer, she borrowed money and travelled to Delhi. On reaching the national capital, she was told that she had been bought for Rs 5 lakh and would be able to repay the amount by working as a prostitute. She was moved to different parts of the country by creating fake identification documents. She was, however, rescued by the Goa police and an NGO called ARZ.
A CETIP typically includes cyber slavery in which qualified engineers are lured with jobs and recruited in countries such as Laos and Cambodia. Tamil Nadu alone has reported 1,200 such cases. Many have managed to escape, while others remain trapped.
In addition to this, many cases relating to child pornography have also emerged. The Kerala police uncovered a child pornography racket in which clips were circulating on nearly 400 computers.
On Saturday, the Tamil Nadu police arrested one Shankar Sarkar, who had leased with Chennai-based agents Abdul Khadher and Syed to send nine people from Tamil Nadu to Laos. They had collected 1000 dollars from them, stating that this was needed for immigration. Investigations found that Sarkar was working as a technician for Tanya Group and Jinlong Group, which are both Chinese companies. He was based out of Laos, where he coordinated with Khadher and Syed. He returned to Tamil Nadu after he was promised a job in Serbia. He ended up paying Rs 3 lakh for the same. Sarkar then began recruiting Indians for scam compounds based out of Laos.
How Bangladesh chaos is contributing to cyber slavery
After Bangladesh plunged into chaos, the number of cyber slavery cases has increased multi-fold. Young men and women are lured with jobs and, once trapped, are being trafficked to Bharat. In recent operations conducted by the West Bengal police and NGOs, it was revealed that these trapped men and women are trafficked and then sent to states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala using fake IDs. This came to light following a police operation that was conducted in North 24 Paraganas.
The agencies say that countries that are politically unstable are contributing to the problem immensely. These seamsters take advantage of the volatile situation and commit such crimes. In such nations, the agencies are too busy monitoring and trying to bring the chaos under control. In the bargain, their eyes are off such crimes, and hence, these criminals thrive.
Scores have gone missing
A report revealed that 29,466 Indians who travelled to Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar between January 2022 and May 2024 on visitor visas had not returned.
The data compiled by the Bureau of Immigration under the Ministry of Home Affairs said that over one-third of the cases hail from Punjab, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. It also said that Thailand alone is responsible for 69 per cent of these cases.
The data also said that there are people missing from other states as well. It said that there are a significant number of individuals missing from Uttar Pradesh (2,946), Kerala (2,659), Delhi (2,140), Gujarat (2,068), and Haryana (1,928). Cases have also been reported in Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Telangana.
The number of people who fell trapped at the Delhi airport (12,493), Mumbai, Kolkata, and Kochi airports reported 4,699, 2,395, and 2,296 cases, respectively.
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, a division of the Union Home Ministry, says that 45 per cent of the cyber crimes originate from Southeast Asia. Data shows that from January 2023 onwards, around 100,000 cyber complaints have been filed on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
Victims speak
Some individuals who managed to escape say that they were lured with lucrative jobs abroad. Once they reached the destination, their passports were taken away, and they were forced to commit online fraud. They were told to scam people who are investing in fake cryptocurrency platforms. Any failure to comply with the orders would result in torture.
The road ahead
Taking note of the increasing number of cyber slavery cases, the Home Ministry has sought better cooperation with the agencies and their counterparts in Southeast Asian countries.
Following the ministry’s Cyber Security Wing (14C) has initiated a nationwide drive to collect information on cyber slavery victims. The Ministry of External Affairs has promised to initiate action by collaborating with authorities in Southeast Asian nations.
Further, the ministry has been advised that this racket cannot be approached in a traditional manner. The Criminal Procedural Code, now known as BMSS, should include a cyber procedure code that integrates cyber experts such as forensic specialists and legal hackers.
Further, this crime can be managed and curtailed only with coordination between the state police, CBI, NIA, Intelligence agencies and the External Affairs Ministry. Further, the setting up of a national task force under the existing 14C for real-time information is also on the anvil.
Experts, however, feel that the awareness drives should be enhanced. For instance, people should be made aware of the national helpline number 1930. Information should also be shared widely about the cybercrime portal-www.cybercrime.gov.in and X handle, @cyberdost.
