In a successful rescue operation, thirteen youths from Jammu and Kashmir, who were trafficked to Myanmar through a cyber-fraud network, have been safely brought back home.

Sharing details of the rescue operation, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) Tahir Ashraf said that these individuals were duped through fake job offers on social media, particularly on Facebook.

According to SSP Tahir Ashraf, the victims, mostly educated young individuals, were lured by fraudulent advertisements offering data entry jobs in foreign countries, especially Thailand.

After participating in online interviews, they were either provided with tickets or asked to arrange their own travel. However, upon reaching their destination, they realized they had been  in a cyber scam and were taken to Myanmar.

Once intelligence agencies received information about their plight, authorities acted swiftly to ensure their safe return. "We took immediate steps and successfully rescued 13 youths. They have been brought back with full security and are undergoing proper counseling," SSP Ashraf said.

"The investigation is in its preliminary stage, but I don't see it as a national threat; these citizens were simply honeytrapped on the pretext of jobs," the SSP added.

These helpless youths were told that they had to identify potential targets for the scammers across the globe. They were forced to engage in explicit online conversations with their targets to record videos, which were later used to them.

Reports said that the victims, who were lured by promises of lucrative jobs, were forced into participating in online scams. They were made to target individuals on dating apps, engaging in blackmail and extortion. The operation, primarily run by Chinese nationals with assistance from Pakistani handlers, involved coercing these individuals into executing the scams.