When Faizan Rasool, a young man from Srinagar, clicked on an online job link for a well-paid job in Thailand, he believed he was about to change his family’s fortunes. Instead, he found himself trapped in Myanmar, tortured, and forced into cyber fraud.
One among hundreds of Indians lured by an expanding human trafficking network operating across Southeast Asia, Faizan recounted the harrowing journey that began with hope but soon turned into a nightmare.
Faizan came across the job advertisement on social media. It linked to a Google Form for jobs in Thailand.
He filled in his details and, a few days later, received a message on Telegram. “A woman on a video call conducted the interview,’’ he said while addressing reporters at his home in Srinagar. “She screen-shared salary details of about Rs 80,000.”
Faizan booked his tickets to Bangkok. Upon landing, they were picked up by men who claimed to be from the company. What followed was an eight-hour journey to the Thai-Myanmar border.
“We didn’t know we were being smuggled across the border,” he said. “They made us cross a river, and two days later we realised we were in Myanmar.”
Faizan realised he had become a victim of online scamming. Refusing to cooperate, he was subjected to both physical and mental torture.
“They made us do push-ups as punishment. They beat us,” he said.
The traffickers demanded $4,500 for his release, an impossible sum for his family back in Kashmir. For weeks, Faizan remained trapped in a guarded compound in Myanmar, his phone and passport confiscated.
Faizan’s ordeal ended only after a coordinated rescue mission involving the Indian embassy in Thailand and the Myanmar military. On March 9, a group of Indian victims was released from one such compound and handed over to Thai authorities.
“Even when we were freed, I felt like I was dreaming. I thought I would wake up and still be in that camp,” Faizan said.
After returning to India, he was debriefed by agencies including the CID and Jammu and Kashmir Police before being handed back to his family.
“I am grateful the Indian embassy, the government and police who helped bring me back. But I want others to learn from my mistake,” he said.
Faizan now urges young people to be vigilant while applying for jobs abroad. “Don’t fall for flashy advertisements. Verify everything.”
He says poverty drove him to take the risk, and he never imagined it would almost cost him his life.
