NEW DELHI: A 22-year-old Indian youth Ajay Kumar, who was brutalised and later hospitalised in a cyber fraud cell in Myanmar, was among six Indians trapped in such scams to be released on Saturday.
The New Indian Express had been writing about three friends -- Sagar, Rahul and Ajay -- who were trapped into working for these cyber fraud cells. While Sagar and Rahul returned earlier, Ajay has finally been released now.
The three had received a job offer from what they believed was an IT firm in Malaysia but ended up in Myanmar in a cyber fraud unit run allegedly by a Chinese man.
They left India in March and reached Bangkok, which they were told was a transit stop. They were later driven out of Bangkok for nearly eight hours to enter Myanmar where they were taken to the cyber fraud centre 2 km from the Thai border.
Any resistance would result in torture. Ajay's brother-in-law told The New Indian Express that he had been mercilessly beaten, kept in a dark room and given electric shocks.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had been issuing advisories for Indian youth to be cautious of fake job rackets since last year.
“Six more Indian nationals trapped at scam compounds in Myawaddy reached the local police station for further repatriation to India yesterday. 101 Indians have been repatriated home since July 2024. We reiterate our advice against job offers in the area without consulting Missions,” said the Indian Embassy in Myanmar.
Release and repatriation of Indians nationals stuck in fake job rackets and scams is a complex task. The six youths were released from Myawaddy, which is totally inaccessible including to the Myanmar security forces. The area is controlled by opposition forces.
The government of Myanmar can only facilitate immigration and exit after the Indian nationals reach a local police station. The Indian embassy thus needs to tread carefully by approaching non-government stakeholders without jeopardising relations with the Myanmar government.
