Delhi: Two arrested for trafficking youths to Myanmar scam centres

Delhi: The Delhi Police has arrested two men who were allegedly recruiting and trafficking Indian youngsters to Myanmar, where they were forced into cyber-fraud operations under conditions described as “cyber-slavery”, officials said on Saturday.

The police arrested Danish Raja, 24, a resident of Delhi’s Bawana, and Harsh, 30, of Faridabad on Friday, he said.

“The case surfaced after Myanmar’s military authorities raided a scam compound in Myawaddy on October 22 and rescued several Indians who had been confined inside a large-scale cyber-fraud complex,” a senior police officer said.

Nearly 300 Indians from various states have since been repatriated. These individuals were reportedly working under coercion and targeting US nationals in multiple scam centres across Myanmar, they said.

“Cyber-slavery” refers to human trafficking where individuals are deceived by fake job offers and then coerced, either physically or psychologically, into participating in organized cyber-fraud activities.

Police said the deportees belonging to Delhi were examined in coordination with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), following which legal action was initiated based on their testimonies.

One of the repatriated youngsters, Imtiyaz Babu of Bawana, lodged a complaint stating that he was lured by a promise of a high-paying data-entry job abroad, the officer added.

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Instead, he was trafficked via Kolkata, Bangkok and Myawaddy, confined and assaulted at KK Park in Myanmar, and forced to commit cyber-fraud targeting US nationals. Armed guards allegedly oversaw the operations to prevent escape, a senior officer said.

Based on his complaint, an FIR was registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Immigration Act on November 20, the police said.

Acting on leads from the examination of deportees, the team apprehended Danish Raja from Bawana. He allegedly admitted his association with scam networks in Myanmar and confessed to continuing recruitment activities in India even after he himself was deported in March 2025.

The investigation has revealed the evolving modus operandi of transnational cybercrime syndicates, including the use of illegal cross-border routes, multiple vehicle transfers under armed escort and intimidation tactics to run large scam centres in Myanmar.

Two mobile phones containing incriminating chats and communication with foreign handlers were recovered from the accused, police said, adding that digital forensic analysis is underway.

Efforts are underway to trace the money trail, identify additional recruiters and arrest other members of the syndicate, police added.