Taking note of the detention of 45 Naga youth languishing in Mohali jail, Punjab, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio has directed Advocate General Nagaland, K.N. Balgopal to personally intervene in the case.
Over 40 Naga youths were apprehended in Chandigarh on the midnight of May 14, accused of duping American citizens by posing as agents of major corporations such as Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, etc.
According to DIPR, Rio asked the AG to depute his team to take urgent necessary actions for the release of the innocent Naga youths who were falsely implicated in this case.
Rio also directed the Resident Commissioner in-charge of Nagaland House, New Delhi to be in touch with the families of the innocent Naga youth and extend all necessary help required for them.
The parents/relatives of the Naga youth have been requested to contact the State government to provide all information and cooperation for getting these innocent Naga youths released.
HH Nagaland appeals govt
Helping Hands Nagaland chapter has appealed to the state government to intervene and rescue Naga youths lodged in Punjab jails. In a press note, HH Nagaland president Andrew Ahoto Sema said that the arrest and detention of more than 40 youths from Nagaland in Punjab was just one instance among many such occurrences that have gone either unnoticed or completely ignored by everyone, including the state government.
He mentioned that this particular incident would have also gone unnoticed or ignored had it not been for the Helping Hands volunteer, Neeraj Punj, who revealed that the youths were lodged in Punjab jails on non-bailable offences. These arrests occurred on May 14 and 15, 2024, when the Punjab Police busted two fake call centres.
Earlier talking to Nagaland Post, Naga Students Union Chandigarh (NSUC) president, Ngamlung O Phom had initially informed that around 42 youths– 34 boys and 8 girls were arrested.
He also added that the operation led to the detention of a total of 155 individuals, of which many belonged to other states from the North East as well.
According to police statement, NSUC president said that the arrested youths were employed at call centers where they impersonated customer service representatives from renowned companies.
Usually, the modus operandi of these fake call centers would primarily target unsuspecting American citizens, whom they deceive into providing personal and financial information using various means.
Phom noted that although none of the detained Naga youths were registered members of the Naga student body, the union has been proactive in reaching out to their relatives and family members, whilst also coordinating with legal representatives to bail out the detained youths.