A 34-year-old man, Bineesh Kumar, was apprehended by the Kanakkakunnu police for allegedly luring individuals with false telecaller job offers and coercing them into illegal activities in Cambodia.
Kumar was arrested at his residence in Munnar on Tuesday morning following a complaint from a victim’s father. The accused tricked 25-year-old Akshay from Cheppad into believing he would secure a telecaller job, collecting Rs 165,000 in the process.
Upon arriving in Cambodia on March 21 of last year, Akshay discovered that the promised telecom job was a façade. Instead, he was forced into using AI technology on social media to deceive and defraud others. When he refused to comply, he was confined to a dark room and subjected to abuse.
Shanthakumaran, Akshay’s father, contacted the Indian Embassy, which intervened and helped rescue Akshay along with approximately 60 other young men from various states who were in similar situations. They were repatriated to India on May 24. Kumar’s arrest followed an investigation initiated by Shanthakumaran’s complaint to the District Police Chief.
Based on intelligence from Kayamkulam DySP N. Babukkuttan, a team led by Kanakkakunnu Inspector S. Arun, along with Sub-Inspectors A. Santhosh Kumar and Suresh Kumar, arrested Kumar. Authorities suspect a larger human trafficking network may be involved.
The police have stated they plan to take the accused, who is currently in remand, into custody for further questioning within the next two days.
