‘Beaten, nails pulled out’: 60 Indians rescued from Myanmar ‘cyber slavery’ ring

The rescue operation was carried out by the Maharashtra Cyber with the help of external affairs ministry and home affairs ministry.

At least 60 Indian nationals had a harrowing experience in cyber crime as they were tortured and forced into what is described as 'cyber slavery' in Myanmar. The Maharashtra Police's cyber wind rescued them all and arrested five agents, including a foreign national, a senior official said on Friday.

The racketeers promised the victims high-paying jobs abroad but instead threatened and tortured them into cyber crimes in Myanmar. (Representative Image)

The official described this as perhaps the 'biggest action' taken by the Maharashtra Cyber in a cyber slavery case with the help of the external affairs ministry and the home affairs ministry, a news agency PTI report said.

In this case, the victims were promised high-salary jobs abroad but, were instead threatened and physically tortured to commit cyber frauds in Myanmar.

Notably, cyber slavery has been increasing becoming a form of exploitation that begins with online deception and later turns into human trafficking.

The senior official noted that the Maharashtra Cyber registered three first information reports (FIRs) in this regard.

The victims were rescued by the Maharashtra Cyber and other agencies. Officials, however, did not reveal whether the operation was carried out inside Myanmar.

Additional Director General of Police (Maharashtra Cyber) Yashasvi Yadav said that the accused persons also include facilitators who helped transport victims from here to Myanmar. "During the investigation of the case, four accused were arrested by the Goa Police, while we arrested the main accused from Mumbai, who is an Indian conduit," he said.

Yadav also noted that of the 60 victims, some could be named accused if they are found to have played any role in this crime.

How did the Indians get trapped?

First, the racketeers contacted the victims on social media platforms, luring them on the pretext of high-paying jobs in Thailand and other East Asian countries, a senior official said.

Then the agents arranged passports and flight tickets for the victims, sending them to Thailand on tourists. Once they arrived in the country, they were sent to the Myanmar border, where they were taken across a river in small boats.

Upon entering Myanmar, the victims were transported to guarded compounds under the control of armed rebel groups. The rebels forced these people to commit cyber frauds ranging from 'digital arrest' scams to fake investment schemes on industrial scale, etc.

Victims' 'nails pulled out'

Additional Director General of Police (Maharashtra Cyber) Yashasvi Yadav said that the accused persons used to torture the victims to get them to commit cyber frauds, including pulling out their nails.

The passports of the victims were seized and they were tortured and threatened into doing what the accused wanted, he added.

Fraud call centres ran as job agencies

Yadav noted that the rescued victims revealed how the network of agents who trapped and the fraudulent call centre companies which lured them on the pretext of getting them jobs, operated behind the mask of employment agencies.

Manish Grey alias Maddy, Taisan alias Aaditya Ravi Chandran, Rupnarayan Ramdhar Gupta, Jensi Rani D and Chinese-Kazakhstani national Talaniti Nulaxi were arrested for allegedly acting as recruitment agents.

The official said that Grey is a professional actor who has even appeared in web series and television shows. He, along with others, allegedly recruited innocent individuals and trafficked them to Myanmar for cyber frauds.

Yadav added that Nulaxi was allegedly planning to set up a unit for committing cyber crimes in India as well.

Further investigation into the case is underway, the official said.

Victim recalls Myanmar horror

One of the victims, Satish, recalled how he got lured into this horrifying situation. He said that he was offered a job as a restaurant manager in Thailand.

"After reaching Thailand, the agent took us to the Myanmar border, and we were not aware that he had sold us for 5,000 dollars per person," he said.

On day one itself, they reportedly seized the victims' passports. "They used to beat us and force us into committing cyber frauds, including extortion, digital arrests and cheating."

And if anybody refused to work, he said, the accused would threaten them with a gunman, who was deployed at the workplace. Satish said that they would torture them, adding that some of the victims were even threatened with organ removal.

These people were taken to the Miawadi area, which is controlled by rebels and where people carry AK-47 rifles and automatic weapons with them, he said.

Another victim, Monukumar Sharma, a resident of Palghar's Naigaon, told news agency PTI that the racketeers used different means of torture on them.

"In case a worker refused to work or reacted sharply, he would be beaten up,' Sharma said. He said that they used to get a fixed salary of 25,000 Thai Bahts, but the accused persons would always find some reason to deduct their amount. "If someone was found sitting with crossed legs, the accused person would cut half the salary of that person," the rescued victim said.

(with PTI inputs)