People from various countries, who were working in the KK Park compound in Myanmar, travel in a boat across the Moei river to cross over from Myanmar to Thailand, as seen from Mae Sot District, Tak Province area on October 24, 2025. More than 1,000 people have fled from Myanmar into Thailand this week, Thai authorities said on October 24, after the Myanmar military raided one of the country’s largest scam centres.
| Photo Credit: AFP
India will repatriate 500 of its citizens who recently crossed into Thailand, fleeing from a Myanmar military operation against a cyber scam hub there, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said, according to a Bangkok Post reporton Wednesday (October 29, 2025).
The Myanmar military has carried out a series of operations against the KK Park cyber crime hub in the Myawaddy township in southeastern Myanmar, which is known to have targeted many victims across the world. Following the operation, Indians working in the cyber crime compound crossed the border to Mae Sot in Thailand.
Following the Thai PM’s remarks, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the authorities in New Delhi are “aware of Indian nationals who have been detained by Thai authorities”, adding that the Indian Embassy in Bangkok is working with the Thai government to repatriate them.
“They had crossed into Thailand from Myanmar over the past few days. Our Mission in Thailand is working closely with Thai authorities to verify their nationality and to repatriate them, after necessary legal formalities are completed in Thailand,” Mr. Jaiswal said.
Hub of cyber crime
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had raised concerns about Indians stuck in cyber scam centres in the region during his speech at the 20th East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 27. “We share the concern about cyber scam centres in the region which has also entrapped our nationals,” Mr. Jaishankar had said.
The cross-border cyber fraud hubs have become a major issue for the Thai Prime Minister, who said shutting down these hubs is a national security priority for Thailand. In a meeting of the National Steering Committee on the Prevention and Suppression of Technology-related Crimes held in Bangkok on October 20, Mr. Charnvirakul described the cross-border online scam industry as a threat to Thailand’s economic stability and national credibility.
The Myanmar military has been carrying out repeated raids against the KK Park cyber crime hub, prompting around 1,500 people of multiple nationalities to cross into Thailand over the past week. A large number of cyber fraud outfits have set up bases along the Myanmar-Thailand border and in the Cambodia-Laos region, taking advantage of the civil conflict in Myanmar and lax local laws. Many of them are known to use U.S. billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network to bypass local authorities. The matter has gained prominence internationally after rising cases of cyber fraud and digital arrest after the pandemic.
Fake job offers trap Indians
Earlier this year, on March 10, the Indian Air Force carried out an airlift operation repatriating 283 Indian citizens who had been “lured to various southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar with fake job offers”, according to the MEA. On October 24, the Embassy of India in Myanmar said that over 1,600 nationals have been repatriated since July 2022, adding that “other cases are being actively pursued.” Complaints regarding Indian cyber workers in the region can be lodged through a phone call to +95-95419602, the Embassy said.
The Indian embassies in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos have been advising Indian job-seekers not to accept job offers from IT companies in these countries without verifying the record of the companies with the Indian missions in the region.
Published – October 29, 2025 03:48 pm IST
