In a major crackdown on an alleged human trafficking and cyber slavery racket operating across Myanmar and Laos, the Mira-Bhayandar Vasai-Virar police have initiated the process of issuing Look Out Circulars (LOCs) against five Indian nationals who are currently residing abroad. The suspects are believed to be part of a network that lured Indian citizens with promises of high-paying jobs abroad and then forced them into online fraud operations under confinement.
The accused — Anil Yerayyashetty Polavaru alias Steve Anna alias Lokesh, Saikumar Mardana, Adnan Shaikh, Sameer Shaikh, and Sagar Mohite alias Alex alias Krish — are currently based in Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos. Investigators said that two Chinese nationals — Leo and Chaisan — are allegedly running the cyber fraud call centres in Myanmar and Laos, and details about them will soon be shared with central enforcement agencies for coordinated international action.
Senior officers said that two cases investigated by the Crime Branch Unit 1 involve trafficking Indians to foreign countries under the guise of lucrative job offers. Once they arrived, their passports were seized, and they were forced to work in call centres involved in cyber fraud, targeting victims across the world.
Assistant Police Inspector Sushilkumar Shinde, who is supervising the investigation, confirmed that the process of issuing LOCs against the five Indian suspects has begun. “They are suspected to be key handlers who facilitated travel, recruitment, and coordination with the foreign operators,” Shinde said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Doiphode said that under the guidance of Police Commissioner Niket Kaushik, a fresh FIR has been registered in connection with the Laos-based cyber slavery operation. Earlier, the Crime Branch had filed a similar case related to a Myanmar-based call centre, leading to the arrest of four accused in Mumbai.
The investigation began after two Mira Road residents — Irtiza Hussain and Ammar Lakdawala from Naya Nagar — were allegedly lured abroad with the promise of a monthly salary of Rs 80,000 and later trafficked to Myanmar. Once there, they were detained in a heavily guarded compound and forced to work at a cyber fraud call centre. When they resisted, the traffickers allegedly extorted Rs 6 lakh each from them before allowing them to return to India.
“The Myanmar facility, known as U-U8 Call Centre, housed nearly 1000 workers involved in online scams, most of them Indian nationals brought in under false job promises,” a police officer said. The compound reportedly had dormitories, a cafeteria, and restricted access, preventing the workers from leaving. The Myanmar centre was allegedly overseen by Yerayyashetty Polavaru, a native of Visakhapatnam, along with Saikumar Mardana and Adnan Shaikh, who is believed to be operating from Thailand.
In a related case, the police also filed a fresh FIR connected to a Laos-based call centre, where seven individuals — including complainant Ismail Ibrahim Sayyed — were allegedly forced into similar cyber fraud work. The operation was said to be run by Sagar Mohite and Sameer Shaikh, both of whom are currently absconding abroad.
Police believe that both call centres — one in Myanmar and another in Laos — were operated by Chinese nationals Leo and Chaison, who are suspected to be masterminds of a wider human trafficking and cybercrime syndicate spanning Southeast Asia. “We are gathering intelligence on the Chinese handlers and will coordinate with central agencies for further action,” said a senior officer.
