India has begun flying home citizens who fled a cybercrime compound in Myanmar after a military raid on the facility last month. About 270 Indians were repatriated from Thailand on Thursday, with another group set to depart next week, officials said.
The group had escaped from “KK Park,” a notorious complex in Myawaddy near the Thai border that housed large-scale online scam operations. Myanmar’s army stormed the site in October as part of a campaign against illegal gambling and cybercrime networks that have exploited thousands of foreign workers.
Thai authorities in Mae Sot sheltered more than 1,500 people from 28 countries — including India, China, Vietnam, and Kenya — following the raid. Many had been trafficked or deceived into working at the compound under promises of legitimate employment.
The United Nations estimates Southeast Asia’s cyber scam industry generates nearly $40 billion annually, driven by human trafficking and forced labor. Despite the KK Park raid, independent outlets such as The Irrawaddy report that similar criminal networks remain active in Myanmar’s border regions.
The crackdown has prompted international attention, with the U.S. and U.K. imposing sanctions on key operators in Cambodia and a U.S. court indicting an alleged ringleader. India’s ongoing repatriations mark another step toward addressing the human cost of the region’s cybercrime epidemic.
