Panchkula, June 8 -- The special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Panchkula has dismissed the bail applications of Ankit Kumar (25), a resident of Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, and Ishtikhar Ali (34) of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, in a human trafficking and cyber fraud case being investigated by the NIA. The case was initially registered on November 15, 2025, at the cyber crime police station, Charkhi Dadri, under Sections 143(2), 316(2), 318(4) and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 24 of the Emigration Act. The first information report (FIR) was lodged on the complaint of Sunil Kumar, who alleged that he was lured with false promises of overseas employment and cheated of money. Ankit Kumar was arrested on November 21, 2025, and during his custodial interrogation, the name of co-accused Ishtikhar Ali surfaced. Ali was subsequently arrested on November 25 last year. Considering the wider ramifications of the offence, the Union ministry of home affairs transferred the investigation to the NIA. According to the NIA, the investigation uncovered a human trafficking and cyber fraud syndicate operating across India, Thailand and Myanmar. The agency found that the Thailand-Myanmar border region was being used for organised criminal activities, where trafficked Indian youths were forced to engage in online frauds, cryptocurrency scams and other cyber crimes. The investigation revealed that Ankit Kumar, Ishtikhar Ali, absconding accused Lisa and other associates allegedly lured Indian youths by offering jobs such as computer operators, data entry operators and ticket booking agents in Thailand. Sham interviews were conducted, passports were collected and travel arrangements were made to transport victims from India to Thailand and then to Myanmar. Once in Myanmar, the victims were allegedly forced to work for a cyber scam company, Xing Hua Groups. Their passports were confiscated and they were compelled to participate in online fraud schemes under threats, coercion and physical abuse. Victims seeking release were allegedly asked to arrange replacements or pay substantial amounts in cash or cryptocurrency. During the hearing, counsel for Ankit Kumar argued that he was himself a victim of trafficking and had been falsely implicated. Counsel for Ishtikhar Ali contended that his name surfaced only through the disclosure statement of a co-accused and that there was no independent evidence against him. Opposing the bail pleas, the NIA submitted that digital data recovered from Ankit Kumar's mobile phone contained passports and details of 34 victims. The agency further alleged that Ishtikhar Ali played an active role in recruiting and facilitating the transfer of victims. Observing that the investigation is still ongoing, several victims are yet to be identified and other suspects remain absconding, the court held that the accused do not deserve the concession of bail at this stage. Accordingly, both bail applications were dismissed on June 5....