India airlifts 197 citizens who worked in Myanmar cybercrime hub from Thailand

Continuing with its operations to repatriate Indian nationals who were employed in the cyber scam centres of southern Myanmar, the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday (November 10, 2025) evacuated 197 Indian nationals from Thailand’s Mae Sot.

The Indian embassy in Thailand said Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul came to Mae Sot to oversee the operation.

“Both sides reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to combating transnational crimes including cyber scams and human trafficking in the region, and to enhance cooperation among the relevant agencies in both countries for this purpose,” said the Indian embassy in a statement after Indian Ambassador to Thailand, Nagesh Singh, met with Prime Minister Charnvirakul in Mae Sot.

On November 6, the IAF evacuated 270 nationals who were working in Myanmar’s Myawaddy and had crossed into Mae Sot after the Myanmar military cracked down on the illegal scam centres. Myanmar military had started operation in Myawaddy during the second fortnight of October forcing workers in the scam centres belonging to multiple nationalities to cross into Thailand where they were detained for entering without valid documents.

“Embassy of India, Bangkok and Consulate of India in Chiang Mai, in close coordination with various agencies of the Royal Thai Government, facilitated this repatriation. This is part of Government of India’s sustained efforts to ensure safety and security of Indian nationals while in distress overseas,” said the Indian embassy in Bangkok in a statement.

Mr. Charnvirakul had expressed his government’s determination to stem the cyber fraud centres of Myanmar that are threatening Thailand’s economic prospects while targeting thousands of innocents across the world. Authorities here had earlier told The Hindu that the Indian nationals who are being airlifted would not be allowed to go home without investigation and that they would be subjected to detailed questioning to find out the kind of activities they were carrying out in the cyber hubs of Myawaddy.

On October 29, Mr. Charnvirakul had announced that around 500 Indian nationals who had entered Thailand from Myanmar would be airlifted by the Government of India. These individuals were employed in K.K. Cybercrime hub in Myawaddy which is known to have conned thousands of innocent online victims across the world, including many in India.

The Indian embassy in Bangkok further emphasised that Indian nationals should “verify the credentials of foreign employers and check the antecedents of recruiting agents before taking up job offers overseas” and reminded that visa-free entry for Indian passport holders is allowed for “tourism and short business purposes only” and not meant for employment.