Job promise turned into captivity inside a Chinese-run cyber fraud hub; victims reveal forced online scams, threats and dramatic escape.
What began as a routine job search for two young men from Haryana’s Palwal district turned into a months-long nightmare inside a cyber-fraud compound operated by Chinese handlers in Myanmar. The youths—Aakash from Bhindoli village and Arvind from Sahnoli—were lured through an online job advertisement, trafficked across borders, forced to run social-media scams, and held under constant surveillance. Their ordeal ended only after they managed to flee to Thailand, where the Indian Embassy arranged their safe return.
Palwal Cyber Police Station has registered a case based on their complaints and has begun an investigation into the network behind the recruitment, transport and forced labour nexus.
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The trap: A job ad, a recruiter, and a false promise
According to their statements, the men came across a job advertisement on social media in June–July. Responding to the ad connected them to a man named Rafaq alias Rahi, a resident of Jammu & Kashmir, who gradually gained their trust.
Rahi presented himself as an HR manager for a company in Myanmar and offered them a job worth ₹80,000 per month, with the option to join either in Bangkok or Yangon.
Convinced by the offer, both men agreed. Following his instructions, they landed at Yangon International Airport. A driver received them and lodged them at a hotel for two days—apparently to isolate them before transport.
Threats, weapons and forced border crossing
On the third day, a group of foreigners arrived, took charge of them, and drove them for hours through hilly terrain. Sensing danger, the two demanded to be dropped back at the airport.
Instead, the captors pulled out weapons, threatened them, and forced them into a boat to cross a river—taking them deeper into the border regions known for cyber-fraud compounds.
From there, they were moved to a location identified as “KK Park”, a notorious zone in Myanmar’s scam belt where thousands of South Asian youths are held and used for online fraud.
Inside the cyber-fraud factory
The victims told police that the compound was entirely controlled by Chinese nationals, while most workers were Indians and other Asians. They were trained systematically in social-engineering techniques.
Their assigned task:
- create fake female profiles on Facebook,
- target Indians living in the US,
- befriend those who appeared financially well-off, and
- hand over their phone numbers to the “team leader,” a Chinese handler.
Aakash stated that the handler even operated his WhatsApp directly and warned them never to reveal location details or take photographs. Any disobedience, they were told, would result in them being handed over to the Myanmar Army—meaning they would “never return to India.”
A crime inside the compound becomes their opportunity
On 22 October, the situation inside the facility changed abruptly. According to the victims, four to five Chinese men allegedly assaulted a Chinese woman, triggering panic among the operators.
The incident reportedly led to a military raid in the area.
Fearing arrest, the Chinese handlers fled the compound, leaving the workers unsupervised. Seizing the moment, the Indian youths escaped, crossed the river, and made their way to the Thai border.
Rescue by the Indian Embassy
Upon reaching Thailand, the pair approached the Indian Embassy. Though they were fined for illegal border crossing, the mission provided them shelter in a temporary camp and coordinated legal procedures.
On 10 November, they were repatriated safely to India and later reached their villages to file formal complaints.
Investigation focuses on the recruiter and the trafficking chain
Police have registered FIRs and are now tracking Rafaq alias Rahi, who allegedly coordinated the travel and acted as a link for the trafficking network. The case is expected to expand to examine cross-border human trafficking, forced labour and organised cybercrime syndicates operating in the Myanmar–Thailand belt.
