Hyderabad: The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) took into custody a woman from Mumbai for her role in transporting job seekers to Cambodia to participate in cybercrimes.
Priyanka Shivkumar Siddu, a recruiting agent based in Chembur, Mumbai, sent a few young people, including two from Hyderabad.
The 30-year-old has been charged with inflicting harm, trafficking minors, unlawful imprisonment, extortion by putting a person in fear of death or severe damage, cheating, and criminal intimidation.
A case under sections 323, 370, 342, 386, 420, and 506 r/w 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 66D IT Act, and 24 of the Emigration Act was booked at the Cyber Crime Police Station (HQ), TGCSB, Hyderabad.
According to TGCSB director Shikha Goel, Priyanka formerly worked for Maxwell, a licensed international job processing business that closed owing to the MD’s health issues. After gaining expertise there, she opened her agency without a formal licence and misled job seekers by issuing visit visas with the promise of subsequently converting them to job visas.
Priyanka established a link with Narayana, who ran a similar firm in Mumbai. Narayana flew to Cambodia and briefed Priyanka about data entry employment chances. She introduced her to Jithender Shah, also known as Amer Khan, the director of Zhan Zei, a Chinese-owned company.
Priyanka went to Cambodia to clarify the specifics and was offered a $500 commission for each candidate she sent. After returning to India, she processed visas for her sister’s son Akshay Vaidhya and his buddy Danish Khan, the first two candidates she sent to Cambodia. Once in Cambodia, the two endured a 12-hour road trip before Jithender Shah, aka Amer Khan, described their task, which involved cybercrime.
Priyanka advertised extensively in newspapers and on social media, advertising high-paying positions in Cambodia, prompting persons such as Vamsi Krishna and Sai Prasad from Hyderabad to approach her. She collected ₹30,000 as a commission for each recruit, processed their visas, and sent them to Cambodia, where they faced severe physical and emotional torture for refusing to participate in cybercrime operations. These people eventually returned to India, albeit with great difficulty.
According to the TGCSB director, investigating her role in transporting others abroad for cybercrime is ongoing. Agents in India entice job applicants with the promise of high-paying overseas jobs while collecting money under the guise of processing, registration, and visa costs. They then transport these individuals to Cambodia, turning them over to Chinese handlers.
When the victims arrive, they are pressured into performing cybercrimes with the fear of violence and detention. Those who refuse risk both physical and psychological torture. After months of mistreatment, the managers threaten the victims with death and demand payment in Bitcoin.
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–IANS
