Job Scam Turns to Torture

The company reportedly tortured the victim for refusing to participate in internet scams.

Hyderabad: A 36-year-old man from Hyderabad has reportedly been trafficked to Myanmar and is being tortured by the company for refusing to participate in internet scams.

The victim has been identified as Shaik Ashraf who is a a resident of Afsar Khan Colony in Langar House, left for Dubai in August 2023 seeking employment.

According to TOI reports, He was promised an IT job in Thailand by a travel agent, reportedly linked to a Chinese-run agency. Upon arriving in Bangkok on August 29, he was taken to Mae Sot and then trafficked into Myanmar by boat.

Once there, Ashraf was coerced into working for a company involved in online fraud. After his refusal, he managed to inform his family about his ordeal over the phone. He also stated that 60-70 other individuals from Telangana and other Indian states are similarly trapped in the same situation and unable to return.

The victim’s family has appealed to union minister of external affairs S Jaishankar for his immediate rescue and safe return.

Earlier, a woman has been arrested from Mumbai by the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) for trafficking youth from the Telugu-speaking states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to Cambodia, where the trafficked victims are forced to commit cybercrimes against resident Telugu natives.

The arrested agent has been identified as Priyanka Shivkumar Siddu, a resident of Chembur, Mumbai. According to the TGCSB, she ran an illegal job processing agency and advertised data entry jobs abroad with attractive pay.

Offering false promises, she allegedly lured jobseekers and handed them over to a Chinese company in Cambodia, Zhan Zei. The police say that she used to earn 500 dollars for each candidate she sent them in addition to Rs 30,000 she collected as the commission from the trafficked victims.