The Indian Embassy here announced on Saturday that 6 Indian nationals caught up in the employment scam have been released for repatriation to India, bringing the number of repatriates to over 100 since July.
According to the embassy, there has been an increase in the number of Indian citizens being killed by an active international crime syndicate in the Myawaddy region on the Myanmar-Thailand border. They are lured to work in fraudulent, scam based companies for cyber slavery.
“Six more Indian nationals trapped in the scam compound in Myawadi have reached the local police station to be sent to India. 101 Indians have returned to India since July 2024. We reiterate our advice against job offers in this area without consulting the missions,” it said in a post on X.
Myawaddy, a city in southeastern Myanmar, is a major trading point between Myanmar and Thailand.
The Indian Embassy’s advisory – which is prominently advertised on its website – reiterates the importance of following the advice on this matter to not take up any job offers, especially those advertised through social media, without consulting the respective Indian Embassies.
“A new location has recently emerged in Hpa Lu area south of Myawadi town where mostly Indian victims are recruited from India and Malaysia, UAE etc. and trafficked through Thailand. “It said.
The Indian Embassy has also provided a detailed, updated list of suspected agents, agencies and compounds involved in these criminal activities with contact numbers.
Meanwhile, in New Delhi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Lok Sabha on Friday that his ministry has requested to block some websites offering fraudulent jobs abroad and recommended action against those involved in such scams.
The government has brought back 1,167 Indians and 497 people from Myanmar from Cambodia under the pretext of providing employment, he said, ‘Online fraudsters have made them work illegally.
In Chennai, M Rajkumar, Conservator of Migrants for Tamil Nadu, urged job seekers to exercise extreme caution especially when traveling to Southeast Asian countries like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
“It is important to ensure that overseas employment is arranged only through licensed recruitment agents authorized by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA),” he said in a statement.
POE Chennai strongly advised prospective migrants to verify credentials of recruitment agencies before making any financial commitment. A list of licensed agents can be found at emigrate.gov.in.
Indian officials say cyber slavery is an emerging and terrifying form of modern-day trafficking. Individuals are coerced or trafficked into online scams for organized criminal networks. This growing cybercrime exploits vulnerable people, luring them into illegal activities and online fraud.
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