11 Indians trapped in Myanmar job scam released, to return home soon
11 Indians who had been victims in the scam centre of Myanmar were released today and will soon be repatriated
Myanmar authorities aided in the release of 11 Indian victims trapped in a job scam at Shwe Ko Ko in Myawaddy, the Indian embassy in Myanmar said.
In a post on X, the embassy said the Myanmar authorities with local assistance had managed to release the Indians who had been stuck in Shwe Ko Ko.
Also Read: 360 Indian citizens working as ‘cyber slaves’ in Cambodia return home
Earlier, 13 Indians stuck in Myanmar due to a job scam had experienced issues with repatriation due to their illegal entry into the country.
Indians have been caught in similar job scams in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. A report by the Deccan Herald showed that most of them were from Tamil Nadu.
Also Read: India raises concerns about Myanmar violence; flags arms, narcotics trafficking
The report also showed that in 2022, 45 Indians were rescued from their fake employers by the Myanmar and Thailand embassies, with 150 more trapped in Shwe Ko Ko and released over time.
Also Read: Agents booked for taking Indian job-seekers to Laos to work in fake call centres
Many of these cyber-scams in 2024 involve fake trading apps, investment apps and websites, fake loan apps, fake dating apps, and fake gaming apps.
Shwe Ko Ko, the scam centre of Myanmar, is infamous for fake job rackets which enable illegal gambling, human trafficking, call centre scams and cryptocurrency frauds.
In May 2024, 360 Indians were rescued from Cambodia as well, working in online scams in locked compounds like Shwe Ko Ko.
The central government on May 16 announced that a high-level inter-ministerial committee would be formed under the chairpersonship of the special secretary (Internal Security), ministry of home affairs to address the rise in cybercrime leading to such situations.
The Indian embassy also stated that the Indian citizens would soon be repatriated and return home, tagging the External Affairs Ministry and Prime Minister of India's office on X.
