PATNA/BETTIAH, July 8 -- The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches in Gopalganj, East Champaran and Saran as part of an investigation into a human trafficking syndicate operating between India and Cambodia. The raids are ongoing at premises connected to the suspects, carried out in close coordination with state police, based on specific inputs about the syndicate, said people aware of the development on Tuesday. An NIA team raided a village under Phenhara police station in East Champaran and interrogated a suspect for hours, also seizing the suspect's mobile phone for forensic examination. Phenhara SHO Rajnish Kumar said the team comprising six-seven members raided the house of one Mohd Kalamuddin (in 20s) around 5am on Tuesday and questioned him in detail in connection with a case related to a network involved in sending people to Cambodia on the promise of lucrative jobs. Officials privy to the information said Kalamuddin's name surfaced during the investigation into NIA case RC-10/2024/NIA/DLI. The agency suspects he is linked to a network that arranges to send Indian youth to Cambodia. Based on inputs gathered during questioning, the agency is now conducting an in-depth examination of his contacts, mobile data, call records and financial transactions. "The team seized his mobile phone to examine the digital evidence and a notice has been slapped, asking him to appear before the NIA in Patna on July 13," said the official, who was the part of the local police which escorted the NIA team. In other raids at multiple locations including Saran and Gopalganj, sources said NIA teams questioned several suspects while mobiles and digital devices were seized and they were called to the NIA office in Patna for further questioning. Officials said the search covered residential properties of individuals acting as Indian recruiters and agents facilitating the trafficking. The syndicate is believed to be involved in organised human trafficking, cyber fraud, and laundering proceeds generated by these criminal acts. The NIA team also questioned an alleged agent Pradeep Singh,at Sadhu Chowk in Gopalganj's Town police station area. The investigation is related to a case in which one Satyanarayan, a resident of Bettiah, was allegedly made to work as a cyber fraud after being sent to Cambodia in 2024. It is being told that Satyanarayan, who somehow returned to India after escaping from the clutches of cyber criminals, had filed a complaint with the NIA in Patna. Based on the complaint, the NIA started investigating the case. Pradeep said one Anand Kumar Singh, also known as Munna Singh took Rs.55,000 from Satyanarayan and sent him to Combodia where he could not get work. When he came back, Munna Singh returned his entire amount. "The agency issued a notice asking me to appear before the NIA office on July 10," he added. Munna Singh, suspected mastermind, along with four co-accused Abhay Nath Dubey and Rohit Yadav from Uttar Pradesh, and Abhiranjan Kumar from Bihar, were arrested in February upon arrival in the national capital from Cambodia. According to an NIA official familiar with the matter, "The victims' passports were seized, and they were forced to work for scam companies in Cambodia, with any resistance on their part meeting with mental and physical torture, including electric shocks, forceful confinement, denial of food and water." Meanwhile, in Saran, a special team of NIA, which arrived from Delhi around 5 am on Tuesday, conducted a raid in Pachrukhwa village under Mashrakh police station with the help of local police. The team reached one Mohd Nizam Ansari's house and questioned his son Sadaqat Ansari for several hours. During the investigation, Sadaqat's mobile phone and laptop were examined and both the devices were sealed and taken away by the NIA. Authorities did not give official details of the operation, but locals say Sadaqat previously worked in Cambodia and his name had come up in a case involving human trafficking....