Kochi police arrest human trafficker for selling youths to Chinese firm in Laos

(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Kochi: Kochi police have arrested Afsar Ashraf from Palluruthy for his role in trafficking six young men to a Chinese company in Laos. The victims were allegedly forced to work for the company, and police have also filed a case against the company’s employees for threatening and forcing the youths to engage in illegal activities online.

Afsar lured six youths from Palluruthy in Laos with the promise of employment, paying them Rs 50,000 each. He then sold them to Ying Long, a Chinese company specialising in online scams, for Rs 4 lakh each. The company manipulated the youths into signing Chinese contracts and forced them to engage in illegal activities, confiscating their passports to control their movements.

The company coerced the youths into perpetrating online financial scams, targeting Indians through chat apps and luring them into online transactions, leading to financial losses. Following a complaint filed by one of the absconding youths, Afsar Ashraf was apprehended. The police are continuing their investigations as other individuals are suspected to be involved. Cases have also been filed against some employees of the Chinese company, including Song and Bonnie, for their alleged involvement in the scams.

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