Indian nationals trapped in Myanmar’s cyber scam parks await rescue

31 Aug 2024, 1:47 pm

“It is pure hell. We thought we had come to Thailand for a job. We were promised 8-hour work days, and a weekly off. None of that is happening. Instead, we are forced to work for 18 hours a day and threatened with violence if we don’t,” Pranav* (name changed), one of the Indian men trapped in Myanmar’s Myawaddy, told TNM.

Pranav, along with an estimated count of over 20 other men, was trafficked from India and taken to KK Park, a cyber scam park, in Myawaddy, located on the Myanmar-Thailand border. Scam parks are hubs or centres where such fraudulent cyber activities are orchestrated and executed.

The Indian Embassy in Myanmar stated on Tuesday, August 27, that “21 Indian victims were released from the Dongmei scam centre, Myawaddy.”

However, family members of some of the trapped men told TNM that they have been writing to various state police departments, the Union government, and the Indian Embassy in Myanmar for over three months now. Four families TNM spoke to, who hail from Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, said they were still unsure of their kin’s safety.

The situation worsened on Friday, August 30, when several family members received calls from the trapped men who repeated the threat they received from their ‘employers’ in Myanmar – “pay Rs 3-4 lakh and you will be dropped back in Thailand, or you will be sold off to a different company.”

Pranav and two of his ‘colleagues’ Abdul and Asif (names changed), who remain trapped in Myanmar, explained to TNM about how they first applied for jobs to be data operators in Thailand. “Abdul (from Uttar Pradesh) and I met each other at the Bangkok airport on July 12,” said Asif. “We were picked up by the Chinese company (for which we applied) and taken to a hotel. At 11:30 in the night, they came to pick us up. We dozed off in the car and when we woke up, we were rowed across the border and taken to Myanmar,” he said.

Abdul added that there was no mobile signal, men were surrounding him with guns, and they had no option but to comply. They were being trafficked from Thailand to Myanmar.

But what exactly were these men trafficked for? Once they reached KK Park, Abdul and Asif were trained to lure women in their mid to late forties to invest in cryptocurrency. “I first said that I would not do this. But then I was threatened with violence,” Asif said.

Pranav explained that the modus operandi slightly varied in his case. “I was asked to message older men living in the United States, and Canada. They said, “Pose as a young woman. Lure them into parting with their money,” he explained. All three men TNM spoke to stated that they were trapped in KK Park, had their phones regularly checked, and ended up working for 18 hours a day. They were among several people, and “the number runs in thousands,” said Pranav.

The trio has fallen prey to what can be called a pig butchering scam.

What is the pig butchering scam?

The term 'pig butchering' is derived from the agricultural practice of fattening pigs before slaughter, a metaphor for how scammers ‘fatten' their victims with false trust and affection before exploiting them financially.

Dr Fangzhou Wang, Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Arlington’s Criminology and Criminal Justice Department has written extensively on pig butchering, calling it “a scam where people are lured and made to invest in cryptocurrency.” In her paper titled, Victim-offender overlap: The Identity Transformations Experienced by Trafficked Chinese Workers Escaping from Pig-butchering Scam Syndicate, she explains how pig-butchering scams spread from China to Northern Myanmar.

“In 2018, as the Chinese government enhanced its strategies for cracking down on telecom fraud and simultaneously increased public awareness of prevention measures nationwide, scammers began to shift their operations overseas, with Southeast Asian countries (most concentrated in Northern Myanmar) becoming the primary hubs for this type of scam due to their proximity to China’s Yunnan provinces. Since 2021, with the deterioration of the domestic situation in Myanmar, the Myanmar government has struggled to exert control over the entire territory, especially in the regions of northern and eastern Myanmar occupied by the local armed Self-Defense Force. This has created opportunities for numerous telecommunications fraud groups (such as pig-butchering scams) to establish and expand their operations. These fraud groups have formed alliances with local armed forces, creating networks for the transmission of illicit gains, resulting in a rapid proliferation of fraud zones throughout Northern Myanmar,” Dr Wang writes.

Dr Wang further explains that typically, “the first scenario usually involves individuals accidentally coming across attractive job advertisements online. These job postings often promise attractive benefits, including furnished luxury apartments, round-the-clock complimentary meals, and a generous salary.”

Ravi’s offer letter, accessed by TNM, promised $900 per month along with free medical facility, hotel and plane ticket, free food and accommodations, attendance allowances, days off a month, bedding and essentials, along with transport/travel assistance upon arrival.

None of that turned out to be true. Instead, torture is what followed. Aside from confining and making the men work for 18 hours a week, some of them were subjected to physical abuse. Satya, Ravi’s father, shared messages from his son who left India for Thailand on April 25. “They took away my phone, I can't call. Try to give a complaint to the police station and embassy. They gave me a current shock. My legs are numb,” read a series of messages Satya woke up to in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizag.

What of the ransom?

Many families are unable to pay ransom to the scammers and they are pinning their hopes on the Indian government. Discussing how ransom works in such cases, Visakhapatnam Joint Commissioner Dr Fakeerappa said, “We (the Vizag police) and state government have helped monetarily with flight fare in the past but no one can pay money to splinter groups. That would be illegal.”

He added that Andhra Pradesh has now become habituated to several stories of men caught in job frauds. Less than a month ago, on August 9, the Minister of State for External (MEA) Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh remarked that as of June 2024, Andhra had the highest tally of 498 fake job agents, followed by Uttar Pradesh at a distant 418.

As of June 2024, 3042 fake job agents have been identified across India by the External Affairs Ministry. While Kirti Vardhan remarked that the MEA has coordinated with state governments and police departments to solve the issue by spearheading awareness campaigns, there has been little resolution.

Also Read: Andhra: 498 fake job agents notified by MEA, highest in country

On seeing the Indian Embassy’s August 27 statement about the rescue of 21 victims, Ravi’s parents hoped he would return home soon. “We felt glad when we saw the news from the Embassy that our son had been rescued. We thought any day now, he would return to India, but that didn’t happen,” his father Satya said, adding that other parents contacted him, asking if he could help them pay the ransom.

While Satya insisted that he had faith in the Andhra Pradesh government and its police, Fakeerappa clarified that their role is minimal.

“We have spearheaded rescue operations in the past in countries like Cambodia. We informed the embassy and there was a response back then. But Myanmar is a different ball game altogether. These are rebel areas controlled by the Karen Border Group (KBG). The Chinese companies work with the KBG and several splinter groups are involved. I have been overseeing Ravi’s case but the responsibility now rests with the MEA and the Indian Embassy in Myanmar,” the Joint Commissioner said.

The MEA has however, remained tightlipped about the issue.

(TNM has reached out to the Indian embassy in Myanmar. We will update the story if and when there is a comment from them.)

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