An international crackdown is underway on illegal scam centers in Myanmar, where thousands, including Indian nationals, have been trafficked and coerced into online fraud. Indian authorities are actively coordinating with Thailand and Myanmar to secure their release.
BY PC Bureau
The Indian mission in Myanmar has launched efforts to rescue 140 Indian nationals, including many from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, who are trapped in a cybercrime den near the Myanmar-Thailand border. These individuals were lured by fraudulent job offers and are now being held against their will, forced to work for Chinese-run online fraud syndicates.
Following urgent pleas from the victims’ families, the Indian embassy in Yangon took up the matter. RC Yadav, the embassy’s consular officer, responded to an email from Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay, acknowledging the distress call from Madhukar Reddy Kokkirala, a victim from Karimnagar.
Indian authorities reported that an international crackdown on scam centers in Myawaddy, Myanmar, is underway. As part of this operation, multiple victims are expected to be repatriated via Mae Sot, Thailand, in the coming days. The embassy assured that it is closely monitoring the situation and has provided an emergency helpline (+9595419602) for those in need of immediate assistance.
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Several victims, including Madhukar Reddy, managed to send live locations, videos, and voice messages to their families before their internet and mobile access were cut off. Madhukar, an MBA graduate from Rangapeta village in Karimnagar, was deceived by job recruiters promising lucrative data entry positions in Bangkok but was instead trafficked to Myanmar and coerced into executing online scams.
Thousands of youngsters are tricked into bogus jobs, typically lured by tantalizing offers of good salaries in Thailand but end up in rural Myanmar with organized online scam centers. Victims are then pressed into conducting online criminal activities, ranging from love scams,… pic.twitter.com/k2x0M1ihEi
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Meanwhile, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra confirmed that around 7,000 individuals rescued from illegal call center operations in Myanmar are awaiting transfer to Thailand. The crackdown on online scam hubs intensified on Monday as Liu Zhongyi, China’s Vice Minister of Public Security, visited both sides of the Thai-Myanmar border ahead of large-scale repatriations.
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Myanmar’s border regions have become havens for criminal syndicates, employing thousands from Southeast Asia and beyond in illicit activities such as romance scams, fake investment schemes, and illegal gambling operations. Thai Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai stated that the joint efforts by Thailand, Myanmar, and China mark a significant step toward dismantling these cybercrime networks
