Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Jul 4: At least 25 men from Maharashtra, including eight from Nashik, have allegedly been trapped by an international cyber fraud network operating along the Thailand-Myanmar border after being lured abroad with fake job offers. Their families have appealed to the government for immediate intervention to secure their release.

One of the victims, a 30-year-old resident of Nashik whose identity has been withheld, recently contacted his family and described the alleged torture and inhuman conditions inside the camp. He has reportedly been held captive since April 25.

According to his family, the man, a Class 12 pass and former merchant navy worker, travelled to Thailand after a friend promised him a call centre job in Bangkok with a monthly salary of Rs 70,000. Instead of employment, he was allegedly taken by unidentified persons to a remote location near the Thailand-Myanmar border, where he has been confined.

His captors have reportedly demanded Rs 8 lakh for his release.

During a WhatsApp call with his family, the man alleged that those detained in the camp are forced to work for up to 18 hours a day.

“We are made to work for 18 hours every day. We are served food that even rats and cockroaches would not eat,” he reportedly told his family. He claimed that recruits were given only a month of training with minimal payment before being forced into cyber fraud operations.

He further alleged that anyone refusing to work is locked in a room and subjected to electric shocks. Women held in the camp are also allegedly being tortured.

According to him, around 25 people from Maharashtra, including eight from Nashik, are being held at the facility. Some of the victims are also from Beed and Dharashiv districts.

Another victim's family expressed concern over his safety and urged the government to rescue not only their son but all Indians believed to be trapped in similar camps.

With the help of BJP corporator Prashant Dive, several affected families have approached Maharashtra Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan.

According to the families, Mahajan has informed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis about the matter and assured them that efforts are underway to facilitate the safe return of those trapped. He has also reportedly spoken to some of the victims and offered them reassurance.

Dive said he had spoken to several of the trapped men, including three youths from his ward. According to him, the victims are allegedly forced to create fake Facebook profiles, develop online relationships with unsuspecting people and lure them into cryptocurrency investment scams.

Those who fail to achieve the assigned fraud targets are allegedly assaulted, while nearly 20 people are confined to a single room under harsh conditions.

Based on accounts shared by the Nashik victim and another youth from Beed, the families claim that more than 25 residents from Maharashtra and over 400 Indians are currently trapped in similar cyber scam compounds across the region.

In recent months, organised criminal syndicates operating from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and neighbouring countries have increasingly targeted young Indians through fake overseas job advertisements circulated on social media.

Victims are reportedly promised lucrative jobs in information technology, data entry, digital marketing and customer support. After arriving in the destination country, they are allegedly taken to cyber fraud hubs where their passports are confiscated and they are forced to participate in online investment scams, cryptocurrency fraud and other financial crimes. Those who fail to meet fraud targets are reportedly subjected to physical abuse and other forms of punishment.

In January 2026, more than 120 people from Andhra Pradesh were rescued from cybercrime compounds in Myanmar in a similar operation.