India successfully rescued 549 of its citizens who were victims of cyber scam centers located along the Myanmar-Thailand border. The operation involved two separate flights operated by military aircraft, according to the external affairs ministry.
The Indian nationals, hailing from states such as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, were initially lured to either Thailand or Myanmar with false promises of lucrative job opportunities in the IT sector. However, they were later trafficked to cyber crime centers, predominantly managed by Chinese criminal organizations, in lawless border regions of Myanmar that are beyond the control of the military junta.
A recent crackdown on these cyber crime centers along the border with Thailand led to the liberation of many Indian citizens, alongside individuals from other South and Southeast Asian countries. Following the crackdown, the rescued individuals were transported from Myanmar’s Myawaddy region to Mae Sot in Thailand. They were temporarily housed in detention centers before being repatriated back to India via a C-17 heavy lift aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday and Tuesday.
In a social media post, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed the safe repatriation of 266 Indians on Tuesday, who had been released from cyber crime centers in Southeast Asia. An additional 283 Indians were similarly repatriated on Monday. The Indian embassies in Myanmar and Thailand collaborated with the respective governments to facilitate the release and return of these individuals.
The government of India has been actively pursuing the rescue of its citizens who have fallen victim to fraudulent job offers in various Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar. Many Indian nationals were coerced into participating in cyber crimes and other illicit activities in scam centers operating in regions along the Myanmar-Thailand border.
The external affairs ministry emphasized the importance of caution and vigilance among Indian nationals seeking employment opportunities abroad. It advised individuals to verify the credentials of foreign employers through Indian missions and thoroughly research the background of recruiting agents and companies before accepting job offers in these regions.
Earlier this year, the Indian embassy in Laos successfully rescued 67 Indian men who had been deceived and trafficked into cyber scam centers located in a special economic zone, bringing the total number of rescued citizens in the Southeast Asian country to 924. In recent years, hundreds of Indian nationals have been targeted by criminal syndicates operating similar scams in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand.
The notorious “pig butchering” scam, believed to be orchestrated by Chinese criminal gangs, involves online fraudsters persuading individuals to deposit money into fictitious platforms. The scam’s name draws an analogy to a farmer fattening up a pig before slaughtering it, reflecting the deceitful nature of the criminal activities undertaken by these groups.