An estimated 800 to 1,000 Indian nationals are believed to be trapped in alleged cyber scam compounds in Myanmar after being lured abroad with promises of high-paying jobs, according to available reports. The victims were allegedly taken to Myanmar and forced to participate in organised cyber fraud operations, while Indian authorities continue efforts to secure the return of those still stranded.
Fake Job Offers Used to Lure Victims
The matter gained attention after 30-year-old Kaustubh Shejwal from Nashik, Maharashtra, released a video appealing to the Government of India for help. He alleged that he was offered a call centre job in Bangkok with a monthly salary of ₹70,000 but was instead taken to a cyber scam compound in Myanmar.
According to his family, the captors are allegedly demanding ₹8 lakh for his release. Similar appeals have also been made by Mohammad Usman Ansari and Mohammad Hasan Raza from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, and Anuranjan Kumar from Sitamarhi in Bihar.
Victims Alleged Forced Cyber Fraud
The victims alleged that people confined inside these scam compounds are forced to carry out online cyber fraud. They further claimed that those who fail to meet assigned targets face physical assault, torture and electric shocks.
Reports indicate that the alleged cyber scam centres are located in heavily secured compounds such as KK Park and Shwe Kokko in Myanmar’s Myawaddy region along the Thailand-Myanmar border. The facilities are reportedly operated by organised transnational criminal syndicates, while local armed groups are alleged to provide protection.
India Continues Rescue Efforts
The Government of India, through the Ministry of External Affairs and other agencies, has rescued more than 2,400 Indian nationals from similar cyber scam centres in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos over the past two years. Efforts are continuing to bring back other stranded Indians.
An international civil society organisation assisting trafficking victims has estimated that more than 5,300 foreign nationals may still be trapped inside such compounds. The United Nations has estimated that more than 100,000 people may be working against their will in cyber scam compounds across Myanmar.
