Officers aware of the development said the rescue operation was jointly coordinated by the state Cyber Command, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and the Indian Embassy in Myanmar, with the assistance of local police in the neighbouring country.
Event Context
The lure
Investigators said the interview was brief and conducted by a recruiter who allegedly never appeared on camera. “Within two days, the men received visas and airline tickets to Bangkok, reinforcing their belief that the recruitment process was genuine,” the officer added. They left Bengaluru on July 10.
“The recruits’ passports were seized immediately after they arrived,” an investigator said. “They were then asked to sign documents before being assigned work inside the compound,” he added.
Team Analysis
Investigators traced the pair’s journey from arrival at Bangkok to Mae Sot, a town on the Thailand-Myanmar border, from where they were moved across the border a day after their arrival. Officials said they were escorted by men allegedly dressed in military uniforms and transported them by road to a heavily guarded compound in Myanmar’s Kayin State.
The ordeal
DGP (CID) Pranob Mohanty said the case illustrated how trafficking networks had merged with organised cybercrime. “What begins as an overseas job offer often ends inside organised cyber scam compounds, where trafficked recruits are forced to operate frauds like investment schemes targeting victims worldwide,” he said.
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Investigators found that the facility housed dozens of workers from India and other countries under the supervision of Chinese operators. According to officials, workers inside the compound lived under constant surveillance. They were required to work shifts lasting up to 16 hours a day, were permitted to use mobile phones for only one hour and had limited time to sleep. Guards regularly inspected living quarters and enforced strict discipline.
Investigators said violations of the rules attracted escalating punishments. Workers were initially warned, but repeated breaches allegedly resulted in strenuous physical exercise, electric shocks and confinement in dark rooms with restricted food.
The breakthrough
Police said the breakthrough came after one of the men’s relatives alerted authorities when communication with them became suspicious.
