15 Indians Caught in Web of Crime Syndicates Repatriated from Myanmar; Tally of Rescued Reaches 379 – News18

The Indian embassy in Myanmar on Wednesday repatriated 15 more Indians who were being used as ‘slaves’ after they were duped into accepting job offers from transnational crime syndicates in Myanmar.

The embassy in Myanmar said that these individuals have left Yangon for Delhi and upon reaching Myanmar they would go to their respective native places.

“The Indian embassy in Myanmar today repatriated 15 more Indian nationals who were victims of job offers of transnational crime syndicates in Myanmar. They left Yangon for Delhi from where they would go to their respective native places in India,” the Indian Embassy in Myanmar said in a tweet.

The embassy further added that so far 379 Indians have been rescued. The authorities also thanked the Myanmarese authorities for their assistance. “We appreciate the assistance provided by the Myanmar authorities and other contacts. So far 379 Indian nationals have been rescued. We are committed to secure the release of all Indian nationals,” the Indian Embassy in Myanmar said.

“While we continue our efforts for securing release of the remaining Indian nationals, we reiterate advisories against falling prey to job offers by transnational crime syndicates,” they further added in a series of tweets.

The embassy earlier this February rescued nine Indian nationals, who were victims of job offers by transnational crime syndicates in Myanmar.

The external affairs ministry has warned Indian citizens to cross-check before accepting dubious employment offers overseas and apply extreme caution against such jobs.

These Indians were reportedly taken across the border illegally mostly into Myanmar and held captive to work under harsh conditions. Reports of Indians being trapped in similar job rackets have also come to light in Laos and Cambodia. The Indian Embassies in Vientiane, Phnom Penh and Bangkok were engaged in repatriating citizens from these cities.

Chinese syndicates and threat actors are committing cybercrimes by setting up bases in neighbouring countries. They have indulged in theft of personal information, cross-border gambling, e-commerce scams, romance scams and advanced persistent threat (APT).

A previous report by News18 highlighted that due to tightening of laws in China against gambling, money laundering, pornography, and other cyber-related issues, bad actors are using neighbouring Myanmar, Cambodia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand to commit these crimes.