Sun Dec 14 19:00:00 UTC 2025: News Article:
Cyber Slavery Ring Busted: Hundreds of Indians Trafficked to Myanmar for Online Scams
Ahmedabad, December 15, 2025 – A major cyber slavery operation has been exposed, revealing the horrifying experiences of hundreds of young Indians lured to Myanmar with promises of legitimate call-center jobs, only to be forced into a life of cyber fraud.
The victims, including 23-year-old Jignesh from Ahmedabad, were trafficked across the Thailand-Myanmar border and held captive in guarded compounds, where they were trained and compelled to run elaborate online scams targeting individuals in the US, UK, and India. They faced physical and psychological abuse if they failed to meet daily targets.
The Gujarat State Cyber Centre of Excellence (CCoE) investigation led to the arrest of Nilesh Purohit, alias “Neel,” the kingpin of a global syndicate responsible for trafficking at least 500 Indians to cyber-fraud centers across Southeast Asia. Purohit allegedly earned between $2,000 and $4,500 per victim, with the financial transactions routed through mule bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets.
Authorities say Purohit headed a global syndicate with more than 126 sub-agents and had links with agents in Pakistan and connections with 100 companies across several countries that supplied manpower to cyber-fraud centres.
Victims described a tightly guarded compound in Myanmar where they were forced to impersonate women online, engage in romantic scams, or pose as law enforcement or government officials to coerce victims into fraudulent investment schemes. AI-generated photos and videos were used to deceive targets, and some operators even used actual models to entrap targets.
Under international pressure, Myanmar’s military has taken action, bombing several buildings inside K.K. Park, leading to the arrest of hundreds of alleged scam operators and the rescue of several foreign nationals, including two batches of Indians repatriated in March and October.
Authorities fear that some of the victims, trained in sophisticated cyber fraud techniques, could potentially become high-grade cybercriminals themselves. Sustained monitoring is being considered for internal security purposes.
First Piper 