In Ahmedabad on Thursday, Gujarat’s new Cyber Centre of Excellence pulled off a high‑profile arrest, taking down Neel Purohit—known online as “The Ghost”—the supposed ringleader of an international cyber‑slavery ring based in Myanmar’s KK Park and Cambodia.
The centre, a 500‑crore‑rupee investment focused on tackling online crime, said the takedown was part of a coordinated effort led by Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, and senior police officials. Purohit was caught in Gandhinagar when he tried to flee to Malaysia. Two of his close lies, Hitesh Somaiya and Sonal Phaddu, were also booked, along with two others, Bhavdeep Jadeja and Hardeep Jadeja.
A court has handed Purohit a 14‑day remand, but investigators have already uncovered a vast trafficking network. Purohit allegedly ran more than 126 sub‑agents across India, tied in with 30 Pakistani handlers and over 100 Chinese and foreign HR firms that supplied labour for cyber‑fraud factories. Police say he trafficked over 1,000 people—more than 500 Indians and dozens of citizens from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Nigeria, and several African countries—into cyber slavery in Southeast Asia. Most victims were steered through Dubai, Laos, and Sri Lanka before crossing borders via the Moei River into Myanmar’s notorious Myawaddy region, a hotspot for crypto scams, phishing and Ponzi schemes.
Victims received fake overseas job offers on Telegram, Instagram, and Facebook, often for high‑paying data‑entry roles. Once recruited, the traffickers seized passports and forced them into cyber‑crime under threat of physical or psychological harm, earning Purohit $2,000 to $4,500 per victim. He kept 30‑40 % for his sub‑agents and moved the proceeds through mule accounts and crypto wallets.
This arrest is a turning point after more than 4,000 Indians have been rescued in joint raids by India, Thailand, and Myanmar over the past three years. Several survivors identified Purohit during police questioning, helping law‑enforcement piece together the global scam.
Harsh Sanghavi hailed the operation as a “landmark step” in protecting citizens from evolving cyber threats, praising the Cyber Centre’s team for exposing a major international syndicate. The bust underscores Gujarat’s growing role in combating cybercrime and trafficking on a global scale.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
