The International Criminal Police (Interpol) announced today that 281 people were arrested during an international operation dedicated to the fight against human trafficking and the fight against online fraud, a phenomenon that originated in Southeast Asia and is becoming global.
Operation "Storm Makers II," against criminal networks that force migrants to work in cyber fraud centers, was conducted from October 16 to 20 in cooperation with 27 countries, Interpol said in a statement.
This enabled the arrest of 281 people, suspected in particular of human trafficking, fraud or corruption, and the removal of 149 victims, added Interpol, which is headquartered in Lyon.
Police raids were carried out at 450 locations identified for human trafficking and migrant smuggling, after five months of coordination with local authorities.
"Many sites are regularly used to direct victims to well-known online fraud centers in Southeast Asia. Victims are often lured with false job offers and then forced to commit major online frauds while also suffering physical violence," the statement said.
Interpol added that the operation confirmed the increasing globalization of the phenomenon.
Ugandan law enforcement authorities reported in October that several citizens were taken to Dubai, allegedly for work, before being flown to Thailand, then Myanmar.
In these centers, under the supervision of armed men, the victims were forced to participate in bank fraud.
A total of 27 countries participated in the Interpol operation: Angola, Australia, Bangladesh, Burma, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.
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