As many as 13 youths from Jammu and Kashmir, who were trafficked to Myanmar through a cyber-fraud network, have been safely brought back home. They were among 283 Indian nationals who fell victim to fake job offers and were rescued and repatriated from the country.
Indian embassies in Myanmar and Thailand coordinated with local authorities to secure their return on Monday via an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft from Mae Sot in Thailand, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
The ministry stated that India has been making sustained efforts to secure the release and repatriation of its nationals lured to various Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar, with fraudulent job offers.
“These persons were subsequently made to indulge in cybercrime and engage in other fraudulent activities in scam centers operating in regions along the Myanmar-Thailand border,” it said.
The government reiterated its caution, previously issued through advisories and social media posts, about such rackets.
“Indian nationals are once again advised to verify the credentials of foreign employers through Missions abroad and check the antecedents of recruiting agents and companies before taking up a job offer,” the MEA said in a statement.
The Kashmiri victims, mostly educated young individuals, were deceived by fraudulent advertisements offering jobs in foreign countries, especially Thailand. After online interviews, they were either provided tickets or asked to arrange their own travel. However, upon arrival, they realized they had been trapped in a cyber scam and taken to Myanmar.
The second batch of 266 people were airlifted back to India after being rescued from scam call centres in South East Asia.
In a social media post on X, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Indian Embassies worked with Myanmar & Thailand governments to secure their release & facilitate their repatriation
“Government of India arranged for the safe repatriation of 266 Indians yesterday by an IAF aircraft, who were released from cybercrime centres in South East Asia. On Monday, 283 Indians were similarly repatriated,” Jaiswal said.
This comes days after 266 men and 17 women were evacuated by a C-17 Indian military plane.
