On Tuesday, the government brought back 266 Indians who were lured into working abroad and were released from cyber crime centers in Southeast Asia. On Monday, 283 Indians were brought back in a similar fashion. Indian embassies worked with the governments of Myanmar and Thailand to ensure their release and help them return home.

The Ministry of External Affairs said that the government has made continuous efforts to release Indians who were duped on fake job promises in South-East Asian countries including Myanmar. These citizens were involved in cyber crime and other fraudulent activities which were going on in Naxal-affected areas of Myanmar-Thailand border.

Advice from the Ministry of External Affairs

The Ministry of External Affairs has advised Indian citizens to verify the credentials of foreign employers through missions abroad and check the past records of recruitment agents and companies before accepting job offers. Earlier in December, the Indian Embassy had announced the release of six Indian citizens trapped in a job scam case in Myawaddy, Myanmar.

cyber crime hub

The Golden Triangle region of South-East Asia is a hub of cyber crime, where the international borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. Fake call centers for cyber fraud operate from here. The victims include people from different states of the country. The Myanmar government deployed its army to rescue the hostages and shift them to Thailand, from where they have now been brought back to India.