A 35-year-old former merchant navy captain, accused of orchestrating a cyber slavery racket that trafficked Indian youths to Cambodia under the guise of overseas employment, was arrested by a cyber crime team, police confirmed on Friday.
Arrest and Background
The accused, identified as Nagesh Kumar, also known as 'Captain Chauhan,' hails from Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh. He was apprehended in Chandigarh and subsequently brought to Agra on transit remand on Thursday evening. Police revealed that Kumar had left his job in the merchant navy and had been actively involved in the trafficking racket for the past three years.
Modus Operandi
According to investigators, Kumar lured young individuals from major cities in Uttar Pradesh, including Agra and Kanpur, with promises of lucrative overseas jobs. The victims were then sent to Thailand, from where they were further trafficked into Cambodia and Laos and subsequently sold to Chinese-run cyber fraud firms.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime) Aditya stated, "The racket came to light in September 2025 after several youngsters from Agra, Kanpur, and other parts of the country reported being cheated and trapped in cyber scam centers operated by Chinese firms in Southeast Asia. The accused had been evading arrest for six months, and his name emerged during the interrogation of three other arrested individuals — Ajay Shukla, Rouni alias Atif Khan, and Aamir Khan."
Victim Accounts and Legal Action
Complainants provided detailed accounts of the scam, describing how they were forced to work in call centers targeting Indian citizens through WhatsApp calls and other online platforms. An FIR was subsequently registered at Agra's cyber crime police station under sections 143(3) (trafficking of a person), 318(4) (cheating), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police further disclosed that victims who refused to work were confined, harassed, and coerced into recovering the money spent on them. Families were pressured into sending money for their release. DCP Aditya added, "Kumar used to work as a merchant navy captain and traveled extensively, which allowed him to establish contacts with global syndicates. Two of the individuals he forced into 'cyber slavery' managed to return to India on August 25 last year and subsequently approached the police. The investigation has been ongoing since then."
The arrest marks a significant breakthrough in dismantling the cyber slavery network that preyed on vulnerable job seekers. Authorities continue to investigate the broader syndicate and are working to rescue other victims still trapped in Southeast Asia.
