According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Indian Embassy in Bangkok is coordinating with Thai authorities to verify the identity and complete the legal formalities of those detained. Most of them are currently housed in Mae Sot, a border town where they were taken into custody after escaping from conflict-hit areas in southeastern Myanmar.
Reports indicate that Myanmar’s military recently raided several cybercrime hubs, including the notorious KK Park, forcing over 1,500 people from 28 countries to flee — with Indians forming the largest group among them.
Trapped in cybercrime rackets
These Indian citizens were reportedly lured abroad with fake job offers in Thailand and later trafficked to Myanmar, where they were held captive by Chinese criminal syndicates and forced into cyber fraud and online investment scams.
India working with Thai police for early return
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India is in constant touch with Thai authorities to ensure the early repatriation of all affected individuals. “We are working with the Thai police to verify their citizenship. Once the process is completed, they will be brought back to India by a special flight,” he stated.
He added that the return will take place only after all legal and immigration procedures are finalized.
Diplomatic coordination underway
Indian Ambassador to Thailand Nagesh Singh recently met Pol Lt Gen Panumas Boonyalug, Commissioner of the Thai Immigration Bureau, to discuss the swift release and repatriation of the stranded Indians.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has also confirmed that India will send a special aircraft to fly its citizens home directly.
Ongoing rescue efforts
This is not the first such operation — in March 2025, the Indian government successfully repatriated 549 citizens trapped along the Myanmar–Thailand border under similar circumstances.
The MEA reiterated its advisory urging Indians to avoid falling for fraudulent overseas job offers and to verify recruiters and companies before accepting employment abroad.
The UN has reported that millions of people across Southeast Asia, particularly in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, remain trapped in scam centres run by transnational crime networks that launder billions of dollars.
Currently, the rescued Indians are being kept in temporary shelters in Mae Sot, where they are receiving food, medical aid, and protection until their return to India.
