The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has successfully cracked down on a major human trafficking syndicate that was deceiving Indian job seekers with promises of overseas employment, only to sell them into cyber slavery in Myanmar. The bureau arrested five key agents who facilitated this illicit operation, which delivered victims to notorious scam centres in the Myawaddy area.
The Deceptive Recruitment Racket
According to TGCSB officials, the accused individuals targeted young job seekers with alluring offers of high-paying jobs abroad. Instead of legitimate employment, the victims were trafficked across the border into Myanmar, where they were forced to work for international cyber criminal gangs running large-scale online fraud operations. Their passports were confiscated, and they were made to work excruciatingly long hours in scam call centres.
The arrested agents have been identified as Vasam Govardhan (35) from Quthbullapur, Banothu Madanlal (24) a student from Warangal, Syed Mohammad Madani (21) from Mysuru, Suggana Sudheer Kumar (26) from Gannavaram in Andhra Pradesh, and Gangala Naveen (26) from Uppal.
From Victim to Perpetrator: The Recruiter's Commission
Investigations revealed a disturbing pattern where some recruiters were former victims themselves. Banothu Madanlal and Suggana Sudheer Kumar had previously worked for the cyber fraudsters in Myanmar before switching sides to become recruiters. They earned substantial commissions, ranging from $3,000 to $5,000, for every individual they successfully trafficked to the crime hubs.
The case came to light when two victims, Sharan and Sangireddy Jeevan Reddy, managed to return to India and filed a formal complaint with the TGCSB on November 22. They detailed their horrific ordeal, leading to the registration of two separate cases under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Emigration Act, and the Information Technology Act.
Coordinated Crackdown and Public Warning
A special investigation team formed by the TGCSB used the statements of returned victims to track down the suspects. The network was found to be using social media platforms for recruitment and arranging travel through legal channels to avoid raising suspicion. The five accused were tracked and arrested across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka over the past week and have been remanded to judicial custody.
As the nodal agency for repatriation, the TGCSB has so far brought back 45 trafficked individuals from Telangana to Hyderabad, with efforts coordinated through the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Indian Embassy.
TGCSB director Shikha Goel commended her team's work and issued a stern public advisory. She urged citizens to exercise extreme caution regarding too-good-to-be-true job offers from overseas. Suspicious recruitment activities can be reported by calling the national helpline 1930 or by visiting the official portal www.cybercrime.gov.in.
