Gujarat Police say they have uncovered one of the most organised cyber-trafficking operations in South and Southeast Asia, run through networks connected to Myanmar and Cambodia. At the centre of the racket is 29-year-old Nilesh Purohit, also known as Neel and “The Ghost”, who is accused of trafficking more than 500 people and forcing them into cyber fraud camps overseas.
Police arrested Purohit on November 16 at Ahmedabad airport while he was allegedly trying to fly to Malaysia. Officials said that if he had boarded the flight, he might have escaped. Speaking to the media, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi said, “We have arrested the key operator, Nilesh Purohit, who was running a large network that pushed Indian youth into cyber slavery.”
Purohit is now in judicial custody. Along with him, police have arrested his sub-agents Hitesh Somaiya and Sonal Phaldu. Earlier, two other accused, Bhavdeep Jadeja and Hardeep Jadeja, had also been detained. Police said the investigation shows that Purohit was running a well-organised international trafficking chain. He allegedly controlled 126 sub-agents in India and worked directly with more than 30 Pakistani agents and over 100 Chinese and foreign companies involved in cyber scam operations.
Police say his international network stretched across Dubai, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Iran. He allegedly sent people from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, Cameroon, Benin and Tunisia to cyber scam centres in Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. Officers said Purohit handled everything, from recruiting victims to arranging their travel and managing payments.
According to investigators, the victims were promised high-paying jobs in data entry or customer support. Recruitment took place mainly through social media platforms like Telegram, Instagram and Facebook. Once people agreed, their passports were taken away, and they were transported illegally through Thailand and across the Moe River into Myanmar, where they were taken to notorious cyber-fraud hubs such as KK Park and Myawaddy Township.
Inside these compounds, victims were forced to work in scams involving phishing, cryptocurrency fraud, Ponzi schemes and fake dating apps. Police said those who resisted were subjected to physical and mental abuse. Officers also found that Purohit earned between ₹1.5 lakh and ₹3.7 lakh per person, while his sub-agents received 30 to 40 percent of the commission.
Police say the network has been active for at least two years and may have planned to traffic more than 1,000 people. A senior officer said, “This is not just cybercrime. This is the most predatory form of human trafficking, powered by the internet and protected by international borders.”
India, along with Thailand and Myanmar, has brought back more than 4,000 Indians from cyber-slavery camps in the past three years. Police said many rescued victims named Purohit as the main handler who sent them abroad, which helped investigators trace him and bring him into custody.
