Daijiworld Media Network - Vadodara
Vadodara, Dec 26: What began as dreams of well-paying foreign jobs has turned into a nightmare for over 100 youths from Gujarat, who are now reportedly trapped in Myanmar after falling prey to an international cyber-scam racket.
The youths, many of them from Savli and Desar talukas in Vadodara district, were lured by agents offering fake data-entry jobs with attractive salaries and easy work. However, soon after reaching Myanmar, they allegedly realised they had been deceived. Instead of employment, they were confined, threatened and forced to take part in illegal cybercrime operations.
According to the victims, they were made to work for 14 to 18 hours a day under intimidation, with severe consequences for those who resisted. Their plight came to light after a video appeal surfaced on social media, showing exhausted youths pleading with the Government of India and the Ministry of External Affairs for rescue.
For nearly 20 days, the youths claim they have been hiding in “hell-like conditions” at a safe house run by a local NGO in Myanmar’s Maya Wadi area. With little money, failing phone batteries and limited access to assistance, they fear their chances of survival are diminishing.
One of the trapped youths, Kunjan Shah from Sandhasal village, narrated his ordeal in a viral audio message. “We were brought here in the name of jobs but were forced into illegal work for 14 to 18 hours daily. We escaped when we got a chance. Now we have no money, no phone balance and no support,” he said.
The fear intensified after reports emerged that the Ahmedabad Crime Branch had busted a Myanmar-based cybercrime racket, leading the youths to believe they were caught in the same network. Choosing uncertainty over captivity, they fled the company when an opportunity arose.
Though the youths claim Myanmar authorities have cleared their immigration status, they allege that no concrete help has reached them from Indian officials so far.
Back home, families are distraught. Kunjan’s parents, Jayeshbhai and Hansabhen, said their son had travelled to Thailand and later Myanmar four months ago in search of a better future. “We don’t want money or compensation. We just want our son and all the other children to return home safely,” they said.
Political pressure is now mounting for swift intervention. On December 26, Savli MLA Ketan Inamdar wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, seeking immediate action. He also approached Vadodara MP Dr Hemang Joshi for support.
In his letter, Inamdar said Kunjan Shah and around 10 youths from Desar taluka, along with nearly 100 Indians, are stranded in Myanmar after being cheated through fake job offers. “This is not an isolated incident. More than 100 Indian youths are suffering. Ten are from Vadodara district, and one is from my own village,” he said.