Gaya Youth Trapped in Myanmar’s Cyber-Slavery Racket, Rescued After Army Raid

A young man from Gaya’s Delha locality, Dharmendra Kumar, returned home on November 20 after surviving a terrifying ordeal inside a cyber-slavery camp in Myanmar. Dharmendra, who had lost his job in Pune, was lured with the promise of a high-salary position in a multinational company in Thailand. Trusting an agent identified as Shubham Kumar from Muzaffarpur, he underwent multiple online interviews and tests before being told to travel for a “final interview” abroad.

Dharmendra flew from Kolkata to Bangkok on October 20. The next day, a driver took him to a five-star hotel for another round of interviews, but soon after, a different driver led him far from the city. Through hilly and marshy terrain and surrounded by armed men, he realised he had been trapped. He was taken across the border into Myanmar, forced to walk at gunpoint, and locked inside a dark room. For three days, he received no food or water.

Inside the compound, dozens of foreign youths were being forced to carry out cyber fraud for organised syndicates operating near the Myanmar border. Dharmendra said he had lost hope of survival, but a sudden raid by the Myanmar Army and police rescued him and seven others. They were later handed over to the Indian authorities.

With support from the Indian Embassy, Dharmendra was moved back to Thailand, then flown to Delhi on November 18, and finally reached his home in Gaya. He now warns people, especially unemployed youth, to stay away from agents promising lucrative overseas jobs.

Dharmendra’s case highlights the expanding network of cyber-slavery operations in Southeast Asia, where youths from Bihar and other Indian states are being trafficked and forced into online scams. Authorities say stronger awareness and stricter action against trafficking agents are urgently needed to prevent such incidents.