India Must Stay Alert as Myanmar Cracks Down on Cyber Scam Hubs: Report
New Delhi: As Myanmar intensifies its crackdown on cybercrime networks, India has been urged to remain vigilant against numerous scam centres operating along the China-Myanmar border that continue to target Indian citizens, according to a report by India Narrative.
The report highlights that several scam hubs located in Kayin State, the Wa region, and other border areas where the Myanmar government’s control is weak, are luring victims with fake online job offers. Once recruited, individuals are stripped of their passports and forced to carry out fraudulent cryptocurrency and romance scams targeting people across the world.
“New Delhi, Beijing, and Bangkok have all pressed Myanmar’s government to act, after hundreds of their citizens were trafficked into these criminal operations,” the report stated.
Myanmar’s military information ministry recently announced that security forces had “cleared” the infamous KK Park — a site long associated with online fraud, money laundering, and human trafficking. More than 2,000 people were detained during the operation, and around 30 Starlink satellite terminals used to sustain scam communications networks were confiscated.
For India, these cyber hubs have become an increasing concern. In March, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that nearly 300 Indian nationals had been rescued from scam compounds across Southeast Asia, including Myanmar. Later, about 540 more were repatriated via Thailand in a follow-up operation.
Experts describe Kayin State as a “cybercrime haven” where a hybrid system of governance — combining armed-group control, corruption, and foreign criminal investments — allows such operations to thrive.
“The raid on KK Park was an attempt by Myanmar’s junta to demonstrate to neighbouring countries that it can enforce border security and curb hybrid criminal-militia activities,” the report noted.
However, challenges persist as the criminal networks behind these compounds remain deeply entrenched in cross-border trafficking and crypto-related fraud.
Media reports suggest that since early 2025, over 5,400 Chinese nationals involved in telecom scams in Myawaddy, Myanmar, have been repatriated under a joint crackdown by China, Myanmar, and Thailand.
