Telangana police probing illegal trafficking of 24 people to Myanmar

The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) on Wednesday said it is investigating the illegal trafficking of 24 people from the state under the guise of lucrative job opportunities.

India has brought back 549 of its citizens in two military aircraft after securing their release from cybercrime centres located along the Myanmar-Thailand border, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The Indians were victims of fake job offers, officials said.

Among the rescued Indians, 24 belong to Telangana, a release from Telangana Police said.

On March 11, 14 members from first batch arrived in Hyderabad from Delhi. The remaining 10 members are currently enroute and will reach Hyderabad on Wednesday, it said.

The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau is actively investigating to identify those responsible for trafficking these individuals (from the state) under the guise of offering lucrative job opportunities abroad, TGCSB Director Shikha Goel said.

Appropriate legal action will be taken against any individual or organisations involved in the fraudulent recruitment schemes, she said.

The police urged public to exercise caution while accepting overseas job offers, especially those promising high salaries with minimal qualification.

In a post on 'X', MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government of India arranged for the safe repatriation of 266 Indians on Tuesday onboard an Indian Air Force aircraft.

On Monday, 283 Indians were similarly repatriated, he said.

The Indian nationals, mostly from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh were lured with fake job offers to either Thailand or Myanmar. They were then taken to cybercrime centres in Myanmar's Myawaddy region, he said.