Indians Lured To Thailand Under Pretext Of Jobs Held Captive In Myanmar, Made To Commit Cybercrimes

A group of Indians who went to Thailand after they were offered jobs there are being held captive in neighbouring Myanmar and are subjected to torture, their families in India have claimed.

According to them, the Indians, mostly from tech backgrounds were lured with jobs in Thailand, but instead, they were taken to Myawaddy in south-eastern Myanmar, which is controlled by an ethnic armed group.

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Gang involved in cybercrimes

The gang is allegedly involved in cybercrimes and is using the Indian nationals held captive to target Indians through social media fraud.

Around sixty of those held captive in Myanmar are said to be from Tamil Nadu.

The incident came to light after some of them managed to escape captivity and sought help through social media.

"I was asked to lure customers through social media by asking them to book hotels online or make other investments. Then I came to know we were into online fraud," One of those who managed to escape told The New Indian Express.

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Abuse and torture for not meeting target

He also added that they were given targets and failing to meet them would result in abuse, including physical torture and electric shocks.

Even though the gang is giving the captives 'salary' it is very less than what they were promised and it is further deducted for not meeting targets.

The father of a Tamil Nadu man who is held captive said that his son was 'given a promotion' and asked him to move to their Thailand office.

But when he reached Thailand, he and several others were taken by road to Myanmar.

Indian Embassy trying to rescue the captives

After their plight surfaced, the Indian embassy in Yangon has been working closely with the Government of Myanmar for their rescue, PTI quoting sources, reported.

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"There are other efforts for rescuing these Indian citizens through various contacts among the business community, given that the area is not fully under the control of the local authorities," the source told PTI.

"So far, the embassy has rescued more than 30 Indian citizens trapped in the Myawaddy area, and is continuing all efforts to get the others out as early as possible," he said.

Be careful about job offers

On July 5, the Indian mission issued an advisory cautioning against unscrupulous elements offering jobs.

"The mission has observed in recent past that some lT companies engaged in digital scamming/forge crypto activities located in remote eastern border areas of Myanmar are recruiting Indian workers from different places through their recruiting agents on the pretext of potential employment opportunities in the IT sector," it said.

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After initial recruitment, the mission said Indian workers are taken to Myanmar illegally without proper documentation leading to their "entrapment".

"In view of the above, Indian nationals are hereby requested to exercise due caution and verify the antecedents of the recruiting agents. It is advisable to have all requisite information (job description, company details, location, employment contract etc.) before accepting any employment that has been offered," it said.

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