13 Indians rescued from Myanmar's fake job racket; MEA alerts against bogus offers

Thirteen Indians, who were trapped in Myanmar's Myawaddy region after falling victim to an international job racket, have been rescued.

According to Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry, the Indians arrived in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. 

32 Indians were rescued from Myawaddy last month due to joint efforts by Indian missions in Myanmar and Thailand. Bagchi tweeted and informed, "We have been actively investigating the case of Indians trapped in bogus job scams in Myanmar. Around 32 Indians have already been rescued thanks to the efforts of @IndiainMyanmar and @IndiainThailand."

 

"Another 13 Indian citizens have been rescued and have arrived in Tamil Nadu today," he said.

The Myawaddy region in southeastern Myanmar's Kayin state, bordering Thailand, is not fully under the control of the Myanmarese government, and ethnic armed groups rule it.

"Some more Indian citizens have been rescued from their bogus employers and are being held by Myanmar authorities for illegal entry," Bagchi said. He stated that legal procedures had been initiated to have them repatriated as soon as possible.

"Details of alleged agents involved in this job racket have been shared with relevant authorities in various Indian states for appropriate action," Bagchi said.

"Similar job rackets have also been reported in Laos and Cambodia. Our embassies in Vientiane, Phnom Penh, and Bangkok have been assisting in the repatriation of people from those countries," he continued.

 

On July 5, the Indian mission warned against unscrupulous individuals offering jobs. "The mission has recently observed that some lT companies engaged in digital scamming/forge crypto activities located in remote eastern border areas of Myanmar are recruiting Indian workers from various places through their recruiting agents under the guise of potential employment opportunities in the IT sector," the mission stated.

According to the mission, Indian workers are stolen to Myanmar without proper documentation after initial recruitment, resulting in their 'entrapment.

 

 

"In view of the above, Indian nationals are hereby advised to exercise caution and verify the credentials of the recruiting agents. It is best to have all of the necessary information (job description, company details, location, employment contract, etc.) before accepting any job offer," it added.

Myanmar is one of India's strategic neighbours, sharing a 1,640-kilometer border with several northeastern states, including militancy-ravaged Nagaland and Manipur.

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