Thane, Dec 20 (PTI) Seven persons held as “cyber slaves” in Myanmar and forced to carry out international financial frauds have been rescued and brought back to India due to a probe by Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) Crime Branch, a senior official said on Saturday.
These persons were held at KK Park, a notorious “scam centre” in Myawaddy Township in that country, he added.
“A probe began after Mira Road residents Syed Irtiis Fazal Abbas Hussain and Ammar Aslam Lakdawala managed to return and file a complaint at Nayanagar police station. They revealed they were lured by acquaintances Asif Khan and Adnan Sheikh with promises of jobs in Bangkok between July-September 2025. However, Hussain and Lakdawala were taken to Myanmar,” Assistant Commissioner of Police Madan Ballal said.
“The victims were handed over to three persons identified as Steve, Anna, and Leo at a company called UU8. They were held under the threat of physical violence and forced to defraud foreign citizens. When they refused, the syndicate demanded a ransom of Rs 6 lakh each, paid through various Indian bank accounts, to secure their release,” Ballal said.
A probe revealed that several youths from Mira Bhayandar and Vasai-Virar were trapped in this cycle of cyber slavery, Crime Branch Unit I senior inspector Sushilkumar Shinde said.
“We traced the victims by analysing passport numbers, Myanmar-based IP addresses, and mobile data. This information was critical in coordinating with the Indian Embassy in Yangon through the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) in New Delhi. On October 21, the Myanmar Army raided the KK Park,” he said.
Leveraging the data provided by the MBVV police, the Indian government successfully identified and repatriated seven victims, including four from MBVV police jurisdiction, this week, Shinde said.
“In this connection, we have arrested four key accused from Mira Bhayandar, Surat in Gujarat, and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. This was not just about local arrests. It was about dismantling a pipeline that turned job seekers into digital prisoners,” ACP Ballal said.
They have been charged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for human trafficking, kidnapping for ransom, cheating and other offences, he added.
The probe into the financial trails of the ransom amounts is underway, Shinde said. PTI COR BNM
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