Bengaluru: In a major operation, the Karnataka Cyber Command has rescued two youths from a fraud complex in Myanmar operated by Chinese fraudsters.
The operation was executed in coordination with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C), Enforcement Directorate and the Embassy of India in Myanmar.
the sources saidfthat two aged 35 were from Bengaluru and were lured on the pretext of data entry work.
“They were first taken to Thailand and then forced to cross the land border into Myanmar, where they were held captive inside fraud compounds,” the source said.
Both were successfully repatriated and reunited with their families on Monday.
“Acting on specific information shared by an ED Deputy Director, the Karnataka Cyber Command immediately took up the matter and, through seamless inter-agency coordination with I4C and continuous engagement with officers of the Indian Consulate/Embassy in Myanmar, the rescue was accomplished in record time,” the Cyber Command said in a statement.
The operation was overseen by Pronab Mohanty, Director General of Police, CID and Cyber Command. The compound, located in Myanmar’s border region, is one of several facilities controlled by Chinese syndicates. These centers are known to coerce trafficked individuals into large-scale online romance scams and investment scams (pig butchering) targeting victims around the world,” the Cyber Command said.
The agency further advised young people to exercise extreme caution before accepting job offers in Southeast Asia, especially those promising high salaries for “IT,” “customer support,” “data entry” or “online marketing” roles that require travel to Thailand, Myanmar, Laos or Cambodia.
The jobs offered jobs as fronts for human trafficking in fraudulent compounds where individuals are locked up, forced to commit cyber fraud and undergo physical and mental abuse, the top state agency said.
Common red flags
*Unsolicited offers received via social media, WhatsApp or Telegram
*Requests to travel at short notice with tickets arranged by the recruiter
*Promises of free accommodation and high payout with minimal verification
*Instructions to surrender passports upon arrival or to cross land borders irregularly
How to be safe
*Independently verify the company and employment offer through official channels
*Inform family and local police before traveling
*Register at the Indian Embassy/Consulate upon arrival in any foreign country
* Immediately contact the nearest cyber crime police station or Indian Cyber Command Mission
* Call helpline 1930 or National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in)
