2 key accused in cyber slavery racket in cop net

Hyderabad: Two key accused in international cyber slavery rackets—one returning from Laos and the other repatriated from Myanmar—have been arrested by the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB), marking a major breakthrough in the state's crackdown on tech trafficking networks.One of the men was intercepted at Kolkata airport based on a lookout circular (LOC), while the second was identified upon landing in Delhi on a special flight that brought home 10 Indians rescued from forced cybercrime operations in Southeast Asia. Among them was a victim from Hyderabad, whose testimony is expected to lead to fresh cases against local agents.The arrests came in the wake of 23 FIRs registered across Telangana in March and April, after victims returned from countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. Many had been lured with promises of high-paying tech jobs and were instead forced to work in illegal call centres involved in global cyber fraud.The first accused, Kolanati Nagashiva alias James, 36, a resident of Jeedimetla, is wanted in three cyber slavery cases filed at the cyber crime police station in Nizamabad and Armoor police station. He arrived at Kolkata airport from Laos on May 19, where immigration officials detained him based on the LOC issued by TGCSB.He was later taken into custody on a transit warrant issued by the additional chief judicial magistrate in Barrackpore, West Bengal, and transported to Nizamabad, where he was produced before a local court and sent to judicial remand.The second accused, Hithesh Arjana Soumya, 29, from Porbandar, Gujarat, was among the 10 cyber slavery victims repatriated from Myanmar by the ministry of home affairs. When the special flight landed in Delhi on May 21, a TGCSB team—deployed to receive victims from Telangana—identified Hithesh and immediately alerted the Manakonduru police, who were investigating a Feb 2025 cyber slavery case in which he was named.He too was taken into custody and remanded by a local court.One of the victims on the repatriation flight, from Medchal Malkajgiri district, had reportedly been trafficked by two local agents. His statement is being recorded, and a new FIR is expected to be registered against the traffickers, police said.TGCSB director Shikha Goel commended the swift coordination between state police, immigration authorities, and central agencies in tracking and arresting the accused."The TGCSB remains committed to identifying and arresting all offenders involved in cyber slavery and fraud through coordinated efforts at both domestic and international levels," she said.