NEW DELHI: Nearly 300 Indian nationals returned home via Thailand on Monday after being freed from scam centers in Myanmar, as reported by AFP. A crackdown on these illegal online fraud hubs, largely run by Chinese operators, has led to the release of around 7,000 workers from over two dozen countries.
Many of the freed individuals, mostly Chinese, remain stranded in poor conditions near the Myanmar-Thai border. Indian officials escorted seven buses carrying 266 men and 17 women—along with three additional buses transporting their luggage—to Thailand’s Mae Sot airport.
The Indian government deployed a C-17 transport aircraft to bring them back, with another 257 nationals set to be repatriated the following day.
China, which has already repatriated over 2,000 of its citizens, continues efforts to dismantle these scam operations that thrive in Myanmar’s lawless border regions. These centers, part of a billion-dollar industry, exploit foreign workers for online fraud, including romance and investment scams. Many workers report being lured into these jobs under false pretenses and subjected to abuse.
China has treated its repatriated nationals as criminal suspects, placing them in handcuffs upon arrival.