Seven Indians Rescued From Myanmar Cyber Scam Centre, Four Arrested

Seven Indian nationals who were held in Myanmar and forced to carry out international financial fraud have been rescued and brought back to the country following an investigation by the Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) police, officials said on Saturday. According to PTI, the victims were trafficked to a notorious scam hub in Myawaddy Township and kept there under coercion.

The men were confined at KK Park, a location widely identified by investigators as a “scam centre”, a senior MBVV police official said. PTI reported that the case came to light after two Mira Road residents managed to escape and return to India, prompting a wider probe into what police described as a cyber slavery network operating across borders.

“A probe began after Mira Road residents Syed Irtiis Fazal Abbas Hussain and Ammar Aslam Lakdawala managed to return and file a complaint at Nayanagar police station. The duo revealed they were lured by acquaintances Asif Khan and Adnan Sheikh with promises of jobs in Bangkok between July and September 2025. However, they were taken to Myanmar,” Assistant Commissioner of Police Madan Ballal said.

According to PTI, the victims told investigators that after being transported to Myanmar, they were handed over to foreign handlers and compelled to participate in online fraud operations targeting people overseas.

“The victims were handed over to three persons identified as Steve, Anna, and Leo at a company called UU8. They were held under the threat of physical violence and forced to defraud foreign citizens. When they refused, the syndicate demanded a ransom of Rs 6 lakh each, paid through various Indian bank accounts, to secure their release,” Ballal said.

Further investigation indicated that the two men were not isolated cases. PTI reported that several young men from Mira Bhayandar and the Vasai–Virar belt had been drawn into the same trafficking chain.

“A probe revealed that several youths from Mira Bhayandar and Vasai-Virar were trapped in this cycle of cyber slavery,” Crime Branch Unit I senior inspector Sushilkumar Shinde said.

Detailing the international coordination involved, Shinde said investigators relied on travel and digital data to trace the victims’ whereabouts. “We traced the victims by analysing passport numbers, Myanmar-based IP addresses, and mobile data. This information was critical in coordinating with the Indian Embassy in Yangon through the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) in New Delhi. On October 21, the Myanmar Army raided the KK Park,” he said.

According to PTI, the information shared by the MBVV police enabled Indian authorities to identify and bring back seven victims this week, including four who fall under the MBVV police jurisdiction.

“Leveraging the data provided by the MBVV police, the Indian government successfully identified and repatriated seven victims, including four from MBVV police jurisdiction, this week,” Shinde said.

Police have so far arrested four accused linked to the trafficking operation, with arrests made in Mira Bhayandar, Surat in Gujarat, and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. “In this connection, we have arrested four key accused from Mira Bhayandar, Surat in Gujarat, and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. This was not just about local arrests. It was about dismantling a pipeline that turned job seekers into digital prisoners,” Ballal said.

The accused have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for offences including human trafficking, kidnapping for ransom and cheating, police said. PTI reported that investigators are now examining the financial trail linked to the ransom payments.

“The probe into the financial trails of the ransom amounts is underway,” Shinde said.

(With inputs from PTI)