How jobseekers from India were sent to Myanmar, turned into cyber slaves

“This ‘scam compound’ was located in the KK Park area of Myawaddy in Myanmar. Here, not just Indians but citizens of countries like Pakistan and Ethiopia were also confined and forced to work, just like Imtiyaz. There were multiple teams, each assigned different tasks — for example, a research team responsible for tracing people that could be easily lured and later duped through investment or digital arrest frauds,” an officer said.

Imtiyaz would allegedly ask the targeted persons for contact details after gaining their trust and persuade them to invest in cryptocurrency. Imtiyaz’s other team members would then deceive the US citizens, either through a digital arrest fraud or other fraudulent methods. “Imtiyaz was not allowed to go out without permission and had to stay in the dormitory inside the scam compound. If he did not work properly or resisted doing the tasks, he would be punished and made to run multiple laps around the campus and by cutting his salary,” the police officer said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO) Vinit Kumar said that after taking the statement of Imtiyaz, two men — Danish Raja (24) from Bawana, Delhi, and Harsh (30) from Faridabad — who allegedly sent him to Myanmar and could be the part of the bigger transnational racket of ‘cyber slavery’ have been arrested.

Kumar said the accused persons used illegal methods to send Imtiyaz to Myanmar via Kolkata and Bangkok in March. “A team led by Inspector Neeraj Chaudhary under the supervision of ACP Vivekanand Jha is conducting the investigation. Digital forensic analysis is underway to trace the money trail and identify other members of the syndicate,” the DCP said.

Kumar said the case came to light after Myanmar military authorities raided a scam centre at Myawaddy on October 22. During the raid, several Indian victims forced into running online frauds targeting foreign nationals were found.

After being given a temporary refuge at a humanitarian camp, they were assisted by the Indian Embassy in Myanmar and repatriated to India on November 19. In close coordination with Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Home Affairs, the deportees were examined to find out if they were trafficked to Myanmar for cyber slavery.

Kumar said that Danish and Harsh admitted to continuing recruitment operations in India even after being deported from Myanmar in August this year.

Another officer said the case exposes a growing trend of organised cybercrime groups exploiting Indian jobseekers through fraudulent overseas placement offers. Delhi Police and I4C are coordinating closely to dismantle such rackets and ensure strict action against traffickers, said officers.