Overview

• Parthkumar Ajaybhai Chauhan, 29, was detained on May 26 at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Laos with two youths he had recruited under false IT job offers.
• Victims Yash Manubhai Prajapati, 21, and Arun Shanbhai Jinjala, 20—both BCA graduates from Surat—were promised ₹60,000–70,000 monthly salaries for software roles before being coerced into a ‘chatting scam’ targeting foreign nationals.
• Investigations show Chauhan previously travelled to Laos and Vietnam between December 2022 and March 2025 to run online fraud operations against US, Canadian and Australian victims.
• Immigration officials, alerted by discrepancies in Chauhan’s visa and return‐ticket details, filed an FIR under Sections 143(2) and 143(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for human trafficking.
• The Maharashtra Cyber Department and Sahar police continue to probe Chauhan’s alleged trafficking network while ensuring the two rescued youths receive protection and support.