Representational image. (ETV Bharat)
Amaravati: Nearly 100 youths from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, who were allegedly lured with fake IT job offers in Singapore, are stranded in Myanmar after falling into the hands of an international cybercrime syndicate.
The victims claim they have been tortured with electric shocks, confined in dark rooms, starved for days, and forced to commit cyber fraud.
Among those trapped are Saibaba from Radharanganagar in Guntur district, Poorna Venkatakrishna from Avanigadda in Krishna district, and Sriram from Palasa in Srikakulam district.
Families said the victims responded to social media advertisements offering IT jobs in Singapore with a monthly salary of Rs 1.25 lakh. Subsequently, they left Vijayawada on April 2, believing they had secured legitimate employment.
However, recruitment agents allegedly took them to Cambodia instead of Singapore and later shifted them to Myanmar, where their passports and other documents were confiscated.
The victims said they were held captive in isolated compounds in hilly areas and were forced to carry out cybercrime activities. Those who refused or failed to meet targets were allegedly subjected to severe abuse, including electric shocks, solitary confinement in dark rooms, and starvation.
The victims also alleged that some women victims trapped were subjected to sexual assault. Although several people tried to escape, 18 of them, including Poorna Venkatakrishna, were caught again and allegedly tortured by the gang, which is reportedly demanding Rs 15 lakh per person for releasing them.
After receiving phone calls from the victims, their families and friends lodged an online complaint with the Ministry of External Affairs on July 17. A separate complaint was also submitted to the Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society (APNRT) on July 22.
On Saturday morning, Poorna and Sriram spoke to APNRT representatives through a conference call arranged by Saibaba’s friend, Sairam. After hearing about their ordeal and appeal for immediate rescue, APNRT officials assured them that all possible efforts would be made to bring them back safely.
Later at night, Saibaba’s father and sister, along with Poorna’s brother, met CI Virendra and other officials at the Tadepalli police station and provided details of the incident.
Authorities are expected to coordinate with the External Affairs Ministry and other agencies to secure safe repatriation of the trapped youths.
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