Trafficked into Myanmar’s Cyber Racket: Telangana Farmer Recounts Harrowing Ordeal
Hyderabad: A 23-year-old farmer from Telangana’s Nizamabad district has revealed chilling details of how he was trafficked to Myanmar and forced to work inside one of the region’s most notorious cyber-fraud syndicates. His testimony before the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) exposes the expanding network of job-linked human trafficking targeting India’s unemployed youth.
A Telegram job ad promising ₹80,000 a month
The victim, a resident of a village in Yergatla mandal, came across a Telegram advertisement in August offering overseas data-entry jobs with salaries up to ₹80,000 per month. After filling an online form, he received a call from a man identifying himself as “Steve.” The caller later introduced himself as Polavaram Anil Kumar, claiming to be an HR professional based in Bangkok.
According to the victim, Anil Kumar demanded a ₹1.2 lakh processing fee and instructed him to travel to Thailand on a tourist visa, claiming it would be converted into a work permit on arrival. His flight tickets and hotel bookings were sent through WhatsApp. On August 8, he took a flight from Hyderabad to Bangkok.
From Bangkok to Myawaddy: A planned abduction
At Bangkok airport, a group of unknown men picked him up. Within two days, he was ferried across the border—via a river crossing—into Myawaddy, a region infamous for its cyber-crime hubs. He was handed over to a company operating out of KK2 Park, one of the major scam-factory zones.
His passport was seized immediately. On August 18, Anil Kumar appeared in person, collected another ₹1.2 lakh in cash, and forced him to sign a one-year contract. By then, the victim realised he had been trafficked.
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Forced to run fake profiles to target Americans
The victim told TGCSB that the syndicate operated a large-scale romance-fraud and social-engineering racket aimed at US citizens.
“I was asked to create fake Facebook profiles using photos of American models. We were trained to engage with US victims and gradually trap them into financial scams,” he said.
For reporting late to work even once, he was fined 5,000 Thai baht. Despite working for three months, he was paid only ₹25,000.
A ransom of 5,000 USDT demanded for release
He later learned that the company demanded 5,000 USDT (about ₹4.47 lakh) as “exit fees” for his release. Without payment, threats intensified.
On October 29, he and nearly 100 other Indian workers staged a dramatic escape, trekking nearly 20 km towards the border. They were detained briefly by Myanmar forces before intervention by the Indian Embassy. The group was evacuated on November 19 via Andaman and Nicobar Islands and then flown to Delhi.
Case registered under trafficking and cyber-fraud provisions
Once in Hyderabad, TGCSB recorded his statement and registered a case. Charges include cheating, criminal intimidation, extortion, wrongful confinement, trafficking of persons, criminal conspiracy, and Section 66-D of the IT Act.
A growing pattern of cyber-slavery trafficking from India
Investigators say this case fits a wider pattern. Multiple rackets are targeting India’s rural youth with promises of tech jobs abroad, only to funnel them into cyber-fraud compounds across Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos.
TGCSB has begun tracking HR agents, recruitment channels, Telegram groups, and financial trails linked to the network. Officials believe hundreds of Indian nationals may still be trapped in similar scam centres.
