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Mumbai, March 26 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a Mumbai resident suspected to be the kingpin of a transnational racket involving the trafficking of unsuspecting Indian citizens to cyber scam compounds in Myanmar and other countries, an official said on Thursday.

Sunil Nellathu Ramakrishnan, alias Krish, was arrested by the CBI in Mumbai after he recently returned to India, the probe agency said.

Subsequent searches at his residential premises led to the seizure of incriminating digital evidence linked to trafficking operations in Myanmar and Cambodia, the CBI said.

He was found linked to transnational criminal syndicates that lure victims on the pretext of lucrative job opportunities in Thailand but traffic them to scam compounds, including those in the Myawaddy region (notably KK Park) in Myanmar, it said.

Investigations revealed that the victims are initially transported from Delhi to Bangkok and are thereafter clandestinely diverted to Myanmar, where they are forced to work in cyber scam centres.

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

The trafficked individuals are subjected to wrongful confinement, constant intimidation, physical and mental abuse, and severe restrictions on their movement, it said.

During 2025, several Indian nationals managed to escape from these scam compounds and reached Thailand, from which they were repatriated to India in March and November 2025, according to a statement.

The CBI conducted detailed interviews of these victims to understand the modus operandi of the trafficking networks and the functioning of these cyber fraud centres.

Acting on the intelligence gathered, the CBI carried out a sustained and meticulous investigation to identify the key operatives behind these activities. Sunil alias Krish emerged as one of the main facilitators and kingpins in the trafficking network, playing a crucial role in the illegal transportation and exploitation of victims in Southeast Asia, said the statement.

The CBI is continuing its investigation to identify and apprehend other accused persons, including foreign nationals, involved in the transnational trafficking network, and to uncover the full extent of these operations.

--IANS

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