NIA cracks down on Laos-based company in human trafficking and cyber fraud case

NEW DELHI — The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday chargesheeted the CEO of a Laos-based ‘Long Sheng Company’ in the high-profile human trafficking and cyber fraud case having an international footprint.

Sudarshan Darade was arrested by NIA Mumbai in June this year and has been named in the chargesheet as a key culprit in the case. He is the sixth accused to be chargesheeted in the case, and the third, after Jerry Jacob and Godfrey Alvares, to have been arrested.

“A large amount of incriminating material has been recovered from Darade’s mobile phones. Darade has also revealed details to NIA regarding another wanted accused, Sunny Gonsalves, as well as foreign nationals Niu Niu and Elvis Du, who are still absconding. NIA is following up on the information to get leads on the absconders,” the investigation agency stated.

NIA investigations have revealed that Darade’s company, based in Bokeo province of Laos, was actively involved in the racket relating to trafficking of youth to the Golden Triangle Laos PDR via Bangkok on the pretext of job offers. The company would conduct WhatsApp interviews and send appointment letters to the youth, who, on reaching the destination, were forced to commit online crypto currency frauds.

On Darade’s instructions, Jacob would arrange for the transportation of the Indian youth to the Golden Triangle Laos.

“Shocking details of the investigation show that refusal by the trafficked youth to engage in the cyber fraud in the Golden Triangle led to starvation and lashing in locked rooms. Some youth were even given electric shocks if they failed to meet their targets of befriending prospective victims on social media,” the agency said.

NIA mentioned that it remains in constant touch with the identified/rescued victims to gather information about others involved in the racket, and is also spreading awareness among youth about the dangers of engaging with unverified international companies for employment even as further investigations are continuing in the case.

On August 31, the Indian Embassy in Laos announced that it has successfully rescued 47 Indian nationals who were trapped in cyber-scam centres located in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Bokeo province.

While 29 individuals were handed over by the Laos authorities following a crackdown on illegal activities in the SEZ, the remaining 18 approached the Embassy directly, seeking assistance.

In a post on X, the Embassy explained that its officials travelled from capital Vientiane to Bokeo where they coordinated with local authorities to facilitate the rescue. The rescued individuals were then transported back to Vientiane, where they were provided with accommodation.

The Embassy then completed all necessary procedural requirements with the Laos authorities for the repatriation of these individuals.

As many as 635 Indians have been rescued from similar situations in Laos and have safely returned to India. The Embassy has issued multiple warnings advising Indians considering job offers in Laos to exercise extreme caution and conduct thorough due diligence to avoid falling victim to fraudulent schemes.

The Embassy has highlighted that many of these fake job offers involve positions such as “Digital Sales and Marketing Executives” or “Customer Support Service” roles, which are fronts for call-centre scams and cryptocurrency frauds. These offers are often facilitated by agents based in Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore, and India, who recruit Indian nationals with promises of high salaries, hotel bookings, return air tickets, and visa facilitation.