India saves many individuals from Myanmar ‘cyber slavery’

(MENAFN) India has successfully repatriated 549 citizens who were rescued from cybercrime centers situated along the Myanmar-Thailand border, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. The group, which was brought back on military aircraft in two separate trips on Monday and Tuesday, had traveled to Thailand or Myanmar in search of fraudulent IT job opportunities. These individuals, along with citizens from other Asian and African countries, were trafficked to illegal cybercrime centers, allegedly run by Chinese criminal gangs, in lawless areas of Myanmar beyond government control.

External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed the Indian government's ongoing efforts to secure their release, stating that the captives were coerced into participating in cybercrime activities and fraudulent operations at scam centers in these border regions. A major operation by Thai, Chinese, and Myanmar authorities led to the rescue of over 7,000 people from locked facilities, where they were forced to deceive victims—mainly in the US—into losing their life savings.

This is part of a wider issue where Indian citizens have been ensnared by criminal gangs running similar scams in countries like Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. For example, in January, 67 Indian men were rescued from cyber-scam centers in Laos. The “pig butchering” scam, a type of online fraud, is attributed to Chinese syndicates and involves building trust with victims over time before exploiting them financially.

The situation came to light in September 2024, with reports revealing that thousands of Indians were being held as “cyber slaves” in Southeast Asia. Recent immigration data indicates that out of 73,138 Indians who traveled to certain countries between January 2022 and May 2024 on visitor visas, around 30,000 have not returned to India.

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