Pradeep Vijay, 24, from the Indian state of Maharashtra, was trafficked to Myawaddy, in August 2022 after responding to a job offer through a social media platform that he believed to be genuine.
His brother, Deepak, told DW that Pradeep had initially been promised a data entry role but was soon tasked with scamming US-based Indian expats and luring victims into investments.
“He endured torture and psychological coercion and we managed to pay ransom after months of captivity,” Deepak said, adding that even to this day, his brother refuses to speak about the suffering he endured and is not the same person.
Job scamming operations in Myanmar
Many nationals like Vijay have been coerced and fallen victim to connected to the rise of cybercrime hubs in .
After responding to employment advertisements, they are offered healthy pay packets and recruited as digital sales and marketing executives.
However, once they start their new jobs, they are forced into criminality by those running the scam centers, as India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told parliament in December.
“In India, we have requested for the blocking of sites which promote such jobs. We have recommended prosecution in certain cases for people who have been involved in this,” the minister said.
In July last year, Jaishankar pressed Myanmar’s Foreign Minister U Than Shwe for the return of unlawfully detained Indians and emphasized the need to combat cyber-scam gangs.
One of the prison-like scam compounds that have mushroomed across Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, called , is located in the town of Myawaddy, Myanmar, near the border.
At least a dozen Indians were recently rescued from KK Park by Myanmar’s Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), an independent militia allied to the country’s military junta, and relocated to Mae Sot, a border town in Thailand.
Dismantling scam networks remains a challenge
Indian investigative agencies report that many operate from large complexes disguised as casinos or economic zones.
The operations are predominantly run by criminal syndicates, though they collaborate with local armed groups for protection and logistics.
“Many of the victims are given fake online identities and the scale of the operations is huge. They are trained to target gullible customers to invest in fraudulent schemes, such as fake cryptocurrency platforms,” a senior intelligence official told DW, on the condition of anonymity.
“We understand that Indians and other nationalities are held in prison-like conditions and are guarded around the clock. Refusal to participate in scams often leads to punishment, including torture,” he added.
The Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the are working to combat these crimes through victim identification, prevention, and judicial coordination.
The UN estimates that as many as 120,000 people may be working in Myanmar scam centers against their will.
Official data shows that 29,466 Indians who traveled to Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam between January 2022 and May 2024 on visitor visas have not returned.
Shreekumar Menon, a narcotics and money laundering expert, told DW that many students slip out of the country in the guise of tourists and get kidnapped, incarcerated, and coerced to operate various cryptocurrency schemes and cyber hacking operations from remote locations.
“Our laws are not designed to nab foreigners working in different countries, whether in cybercrime or drug manufacture,” said Menon, who has studied the issue closely.
“It is a very delicate situation, with educated Indians competing with uneducated Nigerians, in the international shadow markets and dark web, hunting for gullible people to dupe them of their savings, or to peddle new types of synthetic drugs,” he added.
Scam operations in Myawaddy, particularly call-center “love scams” — often referred to as “pig butchering” — brings in massive profits.
In the scam, which is estimated to generate billions of dollars annually across Southeast Asia, a third party gains a victim’s trust and, over time, convinces them to invest all of their money into cryptocurrency, which immediately disappears.
Challenges and limitations
“Coercing people to commit cybercrimes in the real world has now become a new trend,” Pawan Duggal, a cyber law expert, told DW.
Duggal noted that recent cases in Myanmar show that current legal frameworks are completely obsolete when it comes to preventing such cases. He highlighted the lack of an international cyberlaw treaty and weak global cooperation as key challenges.
Although Indian authorities have made multiple arrests related to illegal recruitment activities in several states, shadowy organizations continue to emerge.
Many agencies operate online or through unregistered sub-agents, making them hard to track. Hence, the number of arrests remains small compared to the estimated scope of trafficking and scam operations.
“While legislation and stronger enforcement [are] important, what is ultimately more crucial is that people’s cyber awareness and cyber hygiene levels need to be constantly updated and improved,” he added.
“The government must play a crucial role in this regard. However, the role of other stakeholders is equally important in enhancing cyber awareness,” said Duggal.
Edited by: Keith Walker
The post Indians trapped in Myanmar’s cyber scam nightmare appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
