60 Indians rescued from Myanmar were tortured and forced into “cyber slavery”; five agents

A senior official said in Mumbai that the cyber wing of the Maharashtra police station rescued more than 60 Indian nationals who were tortured in Myanmar and forced into cyber slavery and arrested five agents, including foreign nationals. He said the victims in the case were guaranteed to have high-paying jobs abroad but were threatened and physically tortured, where they committed cyber fraud.

He said this is perhaps the biggest move taken by Maharashtra Network in a cyberslavery case, with the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Cyberslavery is an emerging form of exploitation that began with online deception and evolved into human trafficking. He said Maharashtra Network has registered three first information reports (FIRs) in this regard.

He said racketers contacted victims through social media platforms and attracted their high-paying jobs in Thailand and other East Asian countries. Agents arranged passports and flight tickets for the victims and sent them to Thailand with a tourist visa. After landing in the country, they were sent to the Myanmar border, where they were crossed by small boats.
Upon entering Myanmar, the victims were taken to guard compounds controlled by armed rebel groups, where they were forced to engage in cyber fraud, ranging from “digital arrest” scams to fake investment plans on an industrial scale. The official said the Maharashtra network, along with other agencies, rescued the victims without detailing whether the operation was conducted within Myanmar.

“The defendants include the host who helped the victims take them to Myanmar,” said Yashasvi Yadav, the other police director general (Maharashtra Network). “Defendants included the host who helped the victims take them to Myanmar,” he said. “During the investigation into the case, four defendants were arrested by Goa police, and we arrested the main defendants from Mumbai, the latter of which was the channel for India.” In order to force the victims to fall into cyber fraud, the defendants had to torture them.

In some cases, they even pull out the victim’s nails. He said the victims’ passports were caught and they were tortured and threatened. After the rescue, the victim introduced a network of agents and fraudulent call center companies that attracted aspiring people from India to work. Some of these companies operate under the clothing of employment agencies, he said. The official said Manish Gray, alias Maddy, is a professional actor who has participated in online series and TV shows. He added that Gray also allegedly recruited unsuspecting individuals and promoted their trafficking in Myanmar. Satish shared his experience, one of the victims said he received a job as a restaurant manager in Thailand. “After arriving in Thailand, the agent took us to the Myanmar border and we didn’t know he sold us each for $5,000,” he said.

“They grabbed our passports on the first day. They had defeated us and forced us to commit cyber fraud, including blackmail, digital arrests and cheating,” he said. “In case anyone refuses to work, the defendants will intimidate us and torture us with a gunman who occupied the workplace.”

He said the area known as Miawadi is controlling rebels, where people carry AK-47 rifles and automatic weapons with them. Another victim, Monukumar Sharma, a resident of Naigaon, Palghar district, told PTI that racketers have tortured workers in the past by using different means. “If a worker refuses to work or reacts sharply, he will be beaten.”

“We have a salary of 25,000 Thai baht, but they found some reasons or other reasons to deduct our salary. If someone is found sitting on his lap, the defendant will cut the salary of the person in half.”