What seemed like a golden opportunity for a better life abroad turned into a terrifying ordeal for a Bhopal resident, exposing the harsh reality of fake overseas job offers and a growing form of exploitation often referred to as “cyber slavery.”
Jitendra Ahirwar, a resident of Bhopal, was approached by an acquaintance who presented himself as a recruitment agent. He promised Ahirwar a well-paying data entry job overseas. Trusting the offer and hoping to secure a brighter future, Ahirwar agreed. The process appeared convincing—an interview was conducted over Telegram, and soon after, he was sent a flight ticket to Thailand.
Ahirwar was received by associates of the agent and taken towards the Thailand–Myanmar border. From there, he was forced to cross into Myanmar illegally and was subsequently sold to cyber fraud operators.
In Myanmar, Ahirwar was held captive under harsh conditions. He was physically assaulted, threatened, and forced to carry out online scam activities. Cut off from his family and trapped in a foreign land, he endured days of fear and helplessness before being rescued by the Myanmar Army. He was later sent back to Thailand and eventually deported to India.
After returning home, Ahirwar filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime and High-Tech Police Station in Bhopal on December 6, 2025. Acting swiftly, the cyber police launched an investigation that uncovered a larger, organised network involved in luring individuals with fake job offers, trafficking them across borders, and forcing them into cybercrime operations.
Using technical analysis and digital tracking, the police arrested Mohammad Faiz Akram (32) from Bihar’s Jamui district. Another accused, Mohit Agrawal (30), was later apprehended at New Delhi airport upon his return from abroad. Officials recovered electronic devices and documents linking them to the racket, which operated by advertising high-paying jobs and illegally transporting victims to Myanmar, where they were exploited.
Police officials say the case highlights a dangerous trend where cybercrime is no longer limited to financial fraud but is increasingly linked with human trafficking and forced labour.
In a similar case in Andhra Pradesh, the Visakhapatnam Cyber Crime Police arrested one Bongu Murali for allegedly trafficking unemployed youth abroad under the guise of lucrative job offers. Murali operated an institute named ‘Kanaka Durga’, and lured victims with promises of overseas data entry jobs. He allegedly sent them to Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand, where they were forced to work for cyber scam networks.
Murali is already being investigated in nine cases, including offences like cheating, where police officials revealed that Murali confessed to collecting money from job seekers, arranging flight tickets, and facilitating their transfer to scam companies abroad. The police issued a lookout circular against him.
The cases have prompted cybersecurity officials to launch drives to create awareness among job seekers to go through registered agents with the ministry of external affairs if they are applying for jobs abroad.
