The central bureau of investigation (CBI) has arrested a Hisar-based accused allegedly involved in a network that trafficked Indian nationals to scam compounds in Southeast Asia by promising lucrative overseas employment.
According to CBI, the accused had sent at least four people from the Hisar area to scam compounds in 2025. The victims were allegedly recruited through deceptive job offers and subsequently transported to compounds in countries including Myanmar and Cambodia, where they were subjected to conditions described by investigators as 'cyber slavery'.
The arrest forms part of CBI's wider investigation into agents and facilitators allegedly involved in trafficking Indians to Southeast Asian scam centres.
Statements recorded from victims allegedly reveal a pattern of deception and exploitation after they reached the scam compounds.
According to the agency, some victims had to pay substantial amounts to secure their release and return to India. Others allegedly had to lure another person into the compound as a replacement before they were allowed to leave.
CBI said incriminating evidence recovered from a mobile phone seized from the accused points to his alleged links with recruiters operating from scam compounds in Myanmar and Cambodia.
The agency is also examining cryptocurrency transactions that it suspects may represent commissions paid by operators of the scam compounds to recruitment agents.
The investigation has revealed the alleged use of social media and messaging platforms in the recruitment process.
The accused has reportedly disclosed that Instagram was used to publish advertisements designed to attract people with offers of overseas employment. Telegram was allegedly used for communication with prospective victims and other members of the network.
The case highlights how fraudulent overseas job offers can serve as an entry point into organised trafficking networks, with victims allegedly being moved from legitimate-seeming recruitment channels into criminal operations.
In May and June 2026, the agency conducted coordinated searches at eight locations across four states. Three accused allegedly involved in the trafficking network were arrested during the earlier phase of the probe.
The latest arrest is expected to help investigators establish the wider recruitment and financial links between agents in India and operators of scam compounds in Southeast Asia.
CBI said the investigation into the network, including cryptocurrency-linked transactions, is continuing.
The agency has again urged citizens to exercise extreme caution when responding to overseas employment offers received through social media platforms, messaging applications or informal contacts.
It advised job seekers to independently verify the authenticity of overseas employment opportunities through official channels before travelling or making payments.
CBI warned that such fraudulent offers can result in more than financial losses, with victims potentially facing exploitation and serious legal, physical and psychological consequences.
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