CID Crime books Surat duo for trafficking youths to Southeast Asia for cyber fraud

The Cyber Centre of Excellence of the CID Crime Gujarat has registered a case against two Surat-based men and their associates for allegedly luring Indian youths to Southeast Asian countries on the pretext of lucrative jobs and forcing them to carry out organised cyber fraud targeting victims in Gujarat, India and abroad.

The FIR, lodged on March 1 names Kaushik Ashwinbhai Pethani, a resident Mota Varachha, Surat, and Dhruv Kanubhai Dobaria, a resident of Kamrej, Surat, along with Chetan Prakashbhai Soni and Manish Naranji Bhanushali, and other unidentified associates.

They have been booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, as well as section of the Information Technology Act for cheating by personation using computer resources.

According to police, the accused allegedly enticed unemployed youths with promises of data entry and other high-paying jobs in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. Victims were flown to Bangkok, after which they were allegedly transported through illegal border crossings to hubs in Myanmar controlled by Chinese syndicates.

Once there, their passports, mobile phones and travel documents were confiscated, and they were compelled to engage in cyber fraud operations, police said. Those who refused were allegedly subjected to physical and mental torture.

Investigators said the racket came to light through technical analysis of information received via the national cybercrime reporting portal, which indicated the involvement of individuals from Gujarat in overseas cybercrime networks.

During preliminary inquiry, Dobaria allegedly admitted that he travelled to Bangkok on January 9, before being taken by road to a location identified as KK Park 1–Janlin Group in Myanmar, where he was introduced to Chinese operators by Pethani.

There, he allegedly created fake profiles of women on Facebook and sent friend requests to foreign nationals, particularly Americans. Once rapport was established, conversations were shifted to WhatsApp, where the victims were targeted through phishing, cryptocurrency scams, Ponzi schemes and other fraudulent investment proposals.

Police said Dobaria’s passport showed travel history to multiple Southeast Asian countries. A forensic examination of his mobile phone allegedly revealed photographs of several passports belonging to other Indian nationals, who are suspected to have been recruited into the syndicate.

Investigators also claim that Dobaria received a fixed salary of around 700 US dollars per month and a commission, ranging from one to six per cent, on the amounts defrauded from victims.

The accused discussed large-scale arrangements for accommodation and logistics through WhatsApp chats, with the objective of bringing more youths from Gujarat and other states into the illegal operations.

Dobaria is also alleged to have arranged mule bank accounts through relatives to facilitate the routing and laundering of proceeds of crime.

Police said the accused acted in concert with Chinese handlers, forming a well-organised transnational conspiracy aimed at defrauding citizens in India and abroad.

The case has been registered for investigation. Officials said efforts are under way to trace additional victims, identify other members of the network and coordinate with central agencies and international authorities regarding the overseas links of the syndicate.