World

13 Indians trapped in fake job rackets in Myanmar and Thailand return home

Indian citizens who were trapped in fake job rackets in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia reached Tamil Nadu on Wednesday (Image courtesy: MEA)

As many as 13 Indian citizens who were trapped in fake job rackets in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia reached Tamil Nadu on Wednesday after being rescued and repatriated by the Indian embassies located in the southeast Asian countries.

“We have been actively pursuing the case of Indians being trapped in fake job rackets in Myanmar. Thanks to the efforts of
@IndiainMyanmar & @IndiainThailand, around 32 Indians had already been rescued. Another 13 Indian citizens have now been rescued, & reached Tamil Nadu today,” tweeted Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi today.

The MEA said that instances of similar job rackets have also come to light in Laos and Cambodia and the Indian embassies in Vientiane, Phnom Penh and Bangkok have been helping in repatriating people from there.

Last month, the Indian government issued an advisory, warning the country’s IT-skilled youth not to get entrapped in fake job offers being floated through social media platforms or other sources.

The September 24 advisory stated that fake job rackets offering lucrative jobs to entice Indian youths for the posts of ‘Digital Sales and Marketing Executives’ in Thailand by dubious IT firms involved in call-centre scams and crypto-currency fraud have come to the notice of Indian missions in Bangkok and Myanmar.

The victims are reportedly taken across the border illegally mostly into Myanmar and held captive to work under harsh conditions

The target groups are IT-skilled youth who are duped in the name of lucrative data entry jobs in Thailand through social media advertisements as well as by Dubai and India-based agents.

“The victims are reportedly taken across the border illegally mostly into Myanmar and held captive to work under harsh conditions,” the advisory mentioned.

It suggested that before travelling on a tourist/visit visa for employment purposes, Indian nationals are advised to check/verify credentials of foreign employers through the concerned missions abroad, and antecedents of recruiting agents as well as any company before taking up any job offer.

Also Read: Government advises IT-skilled youth not to get entrapped in fake job offers

IN Bureau