Gujarat cops nabs kingpin behind global cyber-slavery racket

The Gujarat Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of a key figure in a sprawling international human trafficking and cybercrime syndicate linked to Chinese cyber mafias operating from Myanmar and Cambodia. The accused, identified as Nilesh Purohit alias Neel — infamously known as “The Ghost” — is alleged to have trafficked more than 500 people from India and several other countries over the past few years.Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, addressing the media in Gandhinagar, said the Cyber Centre of Excellence (CCE) had uncovered a “well-organised international cyber-slavery network” run through Myanmar’s KK Park and Cambodian cybercrime hubs. Purohit was intercepted while attempting to flee to Malaysia after intensive technical surveillance. His associates, sub-agent Hitesh Somaiya and Sonal Phaldu, were also arrested. All three have been remanded to police custody for 14 days for further interrogation.
According to information,investigations revealed that Purohit managed an extensive network of 126 sub-agents, coordinated directly with over 30 Pakistani handlers, and maintained links with more than 100 Chinese and foreign HR networks supplying recruits to cyber-fraud camps. Police said he had arranged travel for over 1,000 people across India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, Egypt, Cameroon, Benin, and Tunisia, funnelling victims to Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand—regions now infamous for cyber-slavery syndicates.Victims were lured with fake social media job offers promising high-paying data-entry roles. Once recruited, traffickers confiscated passports, held victims hostage, and smuggled them across borders to cybercrime centres like KK Park and Myawadi Township, police said. They were forced to carry out online frauds including phishing, crypto scams, Ponzi schemes, and dating-app fraud, often under threat of physical and mental abuse.
Police said Purohit earned Rs1.5 lakh to Rs3.7 lakh per victim, offering 30–40% commission to his sub-agents. He regularly travelled to Dubai, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Iran as part of his operations.Authorities added that, through coordinated efforts with Thailand and Myanmar, the Indian government has rescued over 4,000 nationals from these cyber-slavery zones in the last three years. Many survivors identified Purohit as the primary trafficker responsible for sending them into captivity.

(State Correspondent)