CHENNAI: After techies from Tamil Nadu and other parts of the country got trapped in Myanmar after having been recruited by IT companies engaged in online scams and fake cryptocurrency activities, the Indian embassy in Myanmar asked IT professionals to exercise caution and verify the antecedents of recruiting agents.
In a statement, the Indian mission said it was observed recently that some IT companies engaged in online scamming/fake cryptocurrency activities in eastern areas of Myanmar were recruiting Indians on the pretext of employment in IT sector. The Indians were then illegally brought to Myanmar, leading to their entrapment, the statement said.
“It is advisable to have all requisite information (job description, company details, location, employment contract, etc.) before accepting any employment that has been offered (sic),” the statement said. About 50 Tamils are among the 300 Indians trapped in Myawaddy in southeastern Myanmar after having been lured in by agents in Thailand. “Earlier, they hired Chinese and Malaysians. Now, they are targeting Indian techies, considering them as cheaper labour,” says Atul*, a Tamil trapped by one such firm.
His parents have approached district officials seeking help them bring him home. The man’s cousin told TNIE he went to the UAE in December. “He even sent money for a couple of months. Two months ago, he said he was going to Thailand and then stopped contacting us. We later learnt from news that he is confined illegally in Myanmar and forced to work at gunpoint.”
*Name changed