2,000 Indians involved in cyber scam operations in Myanmar's Myawaddy: Report

While some have been lured by fake job offers, there are others who are working there willingly.

Myawaddy, a lawless area near Myanmar-Thailand border that is controlled by armed militia groups, currently has around 2,000 Indians involved in cyber scam operations.

As per a report in The Times of India, these individuals who are targeting victims from across India and the US have been lured by fake job offers and are being made to carry out fraud. Even though some of them have been rescued, the actual scale is much larger as per the embassy.

However, the embassy has warned that while efforts are being made to rescue the Indians stuck there, those people who are willingly participating in scams are criminals and not victims. Meanwhile, Indians have been urged to verify any employment offers that they get from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, since those who are found to be involved in these scams will face legal consequences.

As per the publication, three Indians escaped from a scam centre on February 18, and since July 2022 over 600 Indians have been rescued from such scam centres across Myanmar, cambodia, Laos, and Thailand.

Last year in December, six Indian nationals, who were victims of a fake job scam in Myawaddy were rescued by the Indian embassy in Yangon.

Release and repatriation of Indian nationals stuck in fake job rackets and scams are a complex task, people familiar with matter said.

Myawaddy area in Myanmar is totally inaccessible, including by Myanmar security forces as the area is controlled by opposition rebel forces.

The government of Myanmar tries to help, but its reach is limited, the people cited above said.

It facilitates immigration and exit only after Indian nationals reach a local police station, they said.

It is learnt that the Indian mission in Myanmar needs to approach non-government stakeholders without jeopardising relations with the government of Myanmar.

In an advisory in May, the Indian embassy said an international crime syndicate is active in the Myawaddy region on Myanmar-Thailand border and urged Indians to exercise caution before taking up job offers in the region.

"There has been an increase in the incidents of Indian nationals falling victim to the international crime syndicates active in the Myawaddy region on the Myanmar-Thailand border," it had said.

(With PTI inputs)