In a dramatic escalation of efforts to combat transnational cybercrime, India has repatriated 125 of its nationals from Thailand after their release from notorious scam centres in Myanmar’s Myawaddy region, according to statements from the Indian Embassy in Bangkok and multiple news agencies including IANS and PTI. This latest operation, which unfolded on November 20, 2025, brings the total number of Indians rescued from such scam centres and returned home via Thailand since March to a staggering 1,500.
The scale and complexity of these operations are hardly overstated. The Indian Embassy in Bangkok, working in tandem with the Consulate in Chiang Mai, coordinated closely with a host of Thai government agencies and officials in Thailand’s Tak Province to ensure the safe return of stranded Indian citizens. These individuals, many of whom had been lured by fraudulent job offers or trafficked against their will, found themselves trapped in cyber-scam compounds in Myanmar, where they were forced to participate in online fraud schemes targeting victims across Asia and beyond.
“Today, 125 Indian nationals, released from scam-centres in Myawaddy in Myanmar, were repatriated from Mae Sot in Thailand by a special flight operated by the Indian Air Force. With this, a total of 1,500 Indians released from scam centres in Myanmar have been repatriated through Thailand since March this year,” the Indian Embassy posted on X, as reported by ETV Bharat. The embassy also shared photos of the returning nationals, visibly relieved as they boarded the Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft in the Thai border town of Mae Sot.
This operation did not occur in isolation. Just a day earlier, on November 19, 269 Indian nationals—including 11 women—were flown back from Mae Sot on two special IAF flights. The week prior, another 197 Indians were repatriated in similar fashion. These efforts have received direct attention from Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited Mae Sot to review the situation and expressed appreciation for India’s swift response. During his meeting with India’s Ambassador to Thailand, Nagesh Singh, Prime Minister Anutin promised continued support from Thai authorities in facilitating the return of Indian nationals caught in Myanmar’s scam centres, according to IANS.
The roots of this crisis run deep. Myanmar’s borderlands, particularly since the 2021 coup, have become fertile ground for sprawling scam hubs. As The Global New Light of Myanmar and AFP report, these operations are staffed by thousands of workers—some willing, many trafficked from across Asia. The scams, often orchestrated from compounds like KK Park and Shwe Kokko, target internet users with romance and business cons, generating tens of billions of dollars in illicit profits annually. According to a United Nations report cited by AFP, scam victims in Southeast and East Asia alone lost up to US$37 billion in 2023, with global losses likely “much larger.”
The Myanmar military, long accused of turning a blind eye to these operations, has recently ramped up its crackdown—partly in response to mounting pressure from China, a key military backer. On November 18, 2025, Myanmar’s forces raided the Shwe Kokko scam hub near the Thai border, arresting 346 foreign nationals and seizing nearly 10,000 mobile phones used in gambling and online fraud. The Yatai firm, linked to Chinese-Cambodian alleged racketeer She Zhijiang, was identified as running the Shwe Kokko area. She was arrested in Thailand in 2022 and extradited to China last week, after being sanctioned by the UK and US for transforming Shwe Kokko into what Washington called “a resort city custom built for gambling, drug trafficking, prostitution, and scams targeting people around the world.”
In October 2025, Myanmar’s junta announced further raids on the infamous KK Park scam centre, where authorities are reportedly demolishing over 600 buildings. A highly publicized sweep starting in February led to the repatriation of around 7,000 alleged scammers, and Thailand even enacted a cross-border internet blockade in an attempt to stem the tide of cybercrime.
The human cost of these criminal enterprises is profound. Many of the repatriated Indians were detained by Thai authorities for immigration violations after crossing into Thailand illegally while fleeing the scam compounds. Upon their arrival in New Delhi, they are being questioned by Indian authorities to determine how they were recruited and became entangled in the scam networks. Officials have stated that some of those rescued were victims of human trafficking, while others had participated in running the cybercrime operations themselves, as reported by PTI.
The Indian government, for its part, has issued repeated warnings to its citizens. The Embassy in Bangkok strongly advises Indian nationals to rigorously verify the credentials of foreign employers and recruiting agents before accepting any overseas job offer. “Visa-free entry into Thailand for Indian passport holders is meant for tourism and short business purposes only, and should not be misused for taking up employment in Thailand,” the embassy cautioned, as noted in reports by ETV Bharat and IANS. The message is clear: too many have fallen prey to fraudulent overseas job offers, only to find themselves trapped in exploitative or illegal situations far from home.
This crisis is not confined to India. Around 500 Indians were among 1,500 people from 28 countries who crossed into Thailand late last month after a sweeping raid on KK Park, highlighting the international scope of the problem. The United Nations and other international agencies have repeatedly sounded the alarm about the thousands trafficked across Southeast Asia—into Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, and Malaysia—coerced into online fraud operations often linked to powerful transnational criminal networks.
Efforts to bring the remaining stranded Indians home are ongoing. Further repatriation flights were scheduled for November 21, 2025, as Indian missions in Thailand and Myanmar continue to work closely with local authorities to secure the release and safe return of those still trapped in Myanmar’s scam compounds. The process is painstaking and fraught with logistical and diplomatic challenges, but the determination of Indian and Thai officials remains unwavering.
As the world grapples with the growing threat of cybercrime and human trafficking, the story of these 1,500 Indians rescued from the shadows of Myanmar’s scam centres serves as a stark reminder of the dangers lurking behind seemingly legitimate job offers abroad. For the families reunited and the lives reclaimed, the relief is palpable. Yet, for those still missing or caught in similar webs elsewhere, the struggle continues—and so does the urgent call for vigilance, international cooperation, and justice.
