Vidhan and other Indians were deported to Thailand in Burma. (Photo/News 18)
In May 2024, Vidhan, a resident of Dehradun, and five others with diplomas in computer operations were lured by agents to work in Thailand
Several young Indians were recently rescued by the Indian government after being lured to Thailand on the pretext of “good jobs” and then sold to cybercriminals in Myanmar.
Vidhan Gautam, 24, one of the young men who was scammed, narrated his ordeal in an interview with News18. In May 2024, Vidhan, a resident of Dehradun, and five others with diplomas in computer operations were lured to Thailand for work by an agent. However, upon arriving in Thailand, they were required to illegally cross the Moi River, the natural border between Thailand and Myanmar.
“In Myanmar, we were handed over (not sold) to a group of people in Myawaddy (Myanmar’s fourth largest city) who run a cybercrime cartel,” Vidhan told News18.
“We are beaten up and forced to participate in cyber crimes. We are targeted every day. In our big compound alone, there are about more than 70 teams working as cyber slaves day and night. In addition to Indians, Bangladeshi and Pakistani of young people are also forced to commit cybercrimes,” he added.
Vidhan and his friends managed to buy a mobile phone with the help of locals and contacted the Indian authorities. Following the intervention of the Indian Embassy, the Thai authorities reached out to the Myanmar Army.
“Eight of us (Indians) were fined $1,500 by the Myanmar army and jailed for a short period. We were then deported to Thailand and jailed again for a month,” Vidan said.
He also noted that cybercriminal groups contacted his family and demanded ransom for his release. “My family paid $2,000 and other families paid $5,000,” Vidhan added.
He reached his home in Dehradun two days ago. His mother Ranjita Gautam expressed happiness over her son's safe return and said, “Money is not important. I am happy that my son is back safely.
According to media reports, Southeast Asian countries such as Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar have become havens for online scams that lure young people looking for jobs. In early May this year, the Indian Embassy in Cambodia reported that 60 Indians had been rescued from the Internet group.
(With inputs from Satendra Barthwal)
