In its charge sheet, the NIA said it has exposed a “well-organised network of traffickers and touts”.
| Photo Credit: PTI
“The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet against three accused, including an absconding suspected Chinese national, in a Myanmar-based human trafficking and cyber fraud racket targeting citizens of the U.K., the U.S. and Canada,” officials said.
In its charge sheet filed before the NIA special court in Haryana‘s Panchkula on Wednesday (February 18, 2026), the agency said it has exposed a “well-organised network of traffickers and touts”.
“The accused — Ankit Kumar alias Ankit Bharadwaj, Ishtikhar Ali alias Ali and absconding Chinese national Lisa — have been charged under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 24 of the Emigration Act,” the agency said in a statement.
“NIA investigations revealed that the three, along with known and unknown associates, were involved in trafficking vulnerable Indian youth to the Myawaddy region of Myanmar,” it said.
The agency, which had taken over the case from the Haryana Police, added that the accused were involved in various illegal activities ranging from unlicensed recruitment of Indian citizens abroad to the illicit transfer of victims for criminal operations in Southeast Asia.
According to the NIA, Ankit Kumar and Ishtikhar Ali, who have been arrested, lured Indian youth by offering “legitimate jobs” in Thailand and coordinated online interviews with Myanmar-based Chinese national Lisa.
“The victims were deceived by presenting Lisa as a genuine recruiter and were made to believe that they would be provided secure jobs in Thailand,” the statement said, adding that the accused arranged transportation of the victims from India to Myanmar “illegally via Thailand”.
“On reaching Myanmar, the trafficked youth were forced to work in cyber scam companies,” the agency said. “They were made to create fake social media profiles and engage with people in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada to convince them to invest through fraudulent cryptocurrency apps,” it said.
The NIA said that “on refusal, the victims were confined and coerced to continue”, and were also forced to pay “hefty amounts for their release”.
Published – February 19, 2026 10:41 am IST
