Mumbai: In a major operation spanning Thailand and Myanmar, the Maharashtra Cyber Cell has successfully rescued 60 Indian nationals who were victims of an international cyber slavery racket. The victims were trafficked under the pretext of high-paying jobs abroad, only to be forced into executing cyber frauds once they reached foreign soil. Those who resisted were subjected to physical torture.

The Cyber Cell has arrested five individuals in connection with the racket. They have been identified as Manish Grey alias Maddy, Aditya Ravi Chandran, Rupnarayan Ramdhar Gupta, Talaniti Nulaxi (a Chinese/Kazakhstani national), and Jensi Rani D. Among them, Manish Grey—a known actor who has appeared in web series and television shows—played a key role in recruiting victims and trafficking them to Myanmar. He operated actively from various locations, including Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and India, coordinating the entire recruitment and trafficking network.

According to ADG Yashasvi Yadav of Maharashtra Cyber Cell, the operation was initiated following complaints received from the victims’ families. With support from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Indian authorities coordinated with the governments of Thailand and Myanmar to rescue the victims from the Myawaddy region of Myanmar. All the rescued individuals are residents of Maharashtra.

The victims were initially contacted through various social media platforms by agents offering lucrative jobs overseas. Once the victims agreed, the agents arranged flight tickets and managed all necessary passport and visa formalities. The victims were sent to Thailand on tourist visas, from where they were identified at the airport using pre-shared photographs and taken on a 7–8-hour journey to the Thailand–Myanmar border.

They were then forced to cross a river in small boats to enter Myanmar, where they were held in guarded compounds controlled by armed rebel groups. The victims were coerced into signing one-year contracts with fraudulent companies and made to carry out cybercrimes. Agents facilitating these recruitments reportedly earned up to USD 1,000 per victim.

The forced cybercrimes included digital arrest scams, fake investment schemes, and other structured frauds. The operation was conducted in a tiered format: low-level recruits lured victims using fake female profiles, mid-level operatives posed as police or government officers, and senior actors extorted money from unsuspecting victims.

Investigations revealed that the network included agents, call center fronts, and companies posing as legitimate job agencies. So far, the Maharashtra Cyber Cell has registered three FIRs, and efforts are ongoing to trace others involved in this organized international racket. The department has also issued a public advisory urging citizens to verify any foreign job offers, especially those promising unusually high returns. Citizens are encouraged to report suspicious activity to the authorities at the earliest.