Human-trafficking case: NIA charge sheet against three accused in Myanmar

NIA charges three accused in Myanmar human trafficking case involving Indian youth, revealing a network deceiving victims for cyber scams.

“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.