Police Form Seven Teams to Combat Human Trafficking

Visakhapatnam: The Visakhapatnam police have mobilised seven specialised teams to dismantle a network of individuals involved in the illegal trade. The city police commissioner, in a briefing on Saturday, disclosed that approximately 150 individuals from Visakhapatnam and over 5,000 from Andhra Pradesh fell victim to trafficking over the past two years.

CI Bhavani Shankar, leading the charge against human trafficking in the cybercrime division, provided insights into the progress of the case to the Deccan Chronicle. He revealed the deployment of 7-8 specialised teams to delve into the intricate details of the trafficking network. He further stated that the city police commissioner escalated the matter to the ministry of home affairs, ensuring coordination with the Indian embassy in Cambodia.

He said, “The investigative teams are scrutinising flight records and financial transactions and identifying all individuals involved in the nefarious operations. A dedicated special team, named the I4C (Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre) unit, has been formed to spearhead the investigation.”

A group of three individuals identified as Santosh, Arya, Umamahesh, and Habib were apprehended for their roles in facilitating trafficking from the Gajuwaka agency, he stated.

The CI further added that victims, primarily from Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Rajahmundry, Anantapur, Palasa, Tuni, Anakapalli, Telangana, and Kolkata, were promised lucrative job opportunities abroad but were instead coerced into engaging in cybercrimes in countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, and Bangkok.