2024-04-13 06:00:51
image captionRavi was tortured for 16 daysArticle information
Warning: This story contains violent details. including sexual violence which some readers may feel uncomfortable with The name of one person involved – Ravi – has been changed to protect his identity.
Ravi, a 24-year-old Sri Lankan IT worker, was trafficked to Myanmar. He was taken to a secret labor camp run by a Chinese-speaking gang. He said he was forced to work online to scam Westerners out of money.
“They took off my clothes. Let me sit on the chair. and gave an electric shock to the leg I thought that was the end of my life.”
Ravi came to Thailand to work in IT. But instead of working in a high-rise office building in Bangkok Instead, the 24-year-old Sri Lankan found himself stuck in a depressingly closed facility in Myanmar.
He was kidnapped and was taken to Myanmar across the river at the Thai border in Mae Sot District.
There, he says, he was sold to one of the camps led by a Chinese-speaking gang that scammed people online. They force trafficking victims like Ravi to work long hours to scam people out of their money. By faking your identity in the online world Pretend to be a woman And then seduce lonely men in the United States and Europe.
Targeted users are persuaded to invest large sums of money in fake trading platforms that claim to provide quick returns.
Ravi’s “cyberslave” camp is a place hidden in the forests of Myawaddy. This is an area which is not under the direct control of the Myanmar military government.
Interpol information indicates that Thousands of young men and women from Asia, East Africa, South America and Western Europe. tricked into working in these cybercriminal camps They were tricked into getting work related to computers.
If anyone refused to obey orders, they would be beaten, tortured, or raped.
“I spent 16 days in a cell because I disobeyed them. They only gave me water mixed with cigarette butts and ashes,” Ravi told the BBC.
“When I was in the cell on the fifth or sixth day, two girls were taken to a nearby cell where they were raped by 17 men in front of my eyes,” he added.
“One of the girls is Filipino. As for the other person, I’m not sure of the nationality.”
image captionCountries with online scam centers
Who are victims of human trafficking?
In August 2023 The United Nations estimates thatMore than 120,000 people in Myanmar and 100,000 in Cambodia have been forced to work online scams. Since illegal gambling to digital currency or cryptocurrency fraud
A report from Interpol last year found additional hubs for online scams in Laos, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
An Interpol spokesperson told the BBC: This trend has moved from being a regional problem to a global security threat. and many other countries are involved as scam centres. Transportation routes or the country of origin of the trafficked victim
In early April, the Indian government announced it had rescued 250 of its citizens trafficked to Cambodia, while in March China repatriated hundreds of its citizens from a scam center in Myanmar. Come
The Chinese government has also increased pressure on both the military government and armed groups in Myanmar to close these centers.
Sri Lankan authorities know that At least 56 of its citizens are stranded in four different locations in Myanmar, although Sri Lankan Ambassador to Myanmar Jana Bandara will tell the BBC that Eight Sri Lankan citizens were recently extracted from these centers with the help of Myanmar officials.
There are many immigrant workers who want a better life. This allows the people behind these scam centers to continually recruit workers to become scammers.
image captionCountries involved in online scams There is an entire country with online scam centers. Countries that are transportation routes Including countries that are the source of victims of human trafficking.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of engineers, doctors, nurses and IT professionals from South Asia migrate abroad to find work.
Ravi, a computer expert, is trying hard to leave Sri Lanka. which the economy is in a period of crisis Later, he found out that a recruiting company was accepting applications for information technology jobs in Bangkok.
Recruitment officer Including colleagues based in Dubai. Confirmed that the company will pay him a salary of 370,000 Sri Lankan rupees (approximately 45,000 baht).
As a newlywed couple Ravi and his wife dreamed that a new job would allow them to build a house. So they borrowed money to pay a local employment agency.
From Thailand to Myanmar
In early 2023, Ravi and a group of Sri Lankans were sent first to Bangkok and then to Mae Sot District, Tak Province, in western Thailand.
“We were taken to a hotel. But soon we were taken and given to two gunmen. They took us across the river to Myanmar,” said Ravi.
Ravi and his compatriots were then transferred to a camp run by a Chinese-speaking gang leader. And we were given clear instructions not to take photos.
“We were very scared. About 40 young men and women came from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and African countries. Forced detention in camps,” he said.
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Lao Kai, a town on the Myanmar border. It has become a center for gambling, drugs and scams.
Ravi said there were high walls and barbed wire to prevent escape. And there are still gunmen guarding the entrances and exits at all times.
Ravi said he and others were forced to work up to 22 hours a day. by each month There was only one day off, and each day they were expected to find at least three victims.
If anyone disobeys, they will be beaten and tortured. Unless they can find the money to redeem themselves.
One man who did so was 21-year-old Neil Vijay from the western Indian state of Maharashtra. who were trafficked to Myanmar along with five other Indian men and two Filipino women in August 2022
He told the BBC: My mother’s childhood friend promised him a job at a call center in Bangkok. and charges a brokerage fee of 150,000 Indian rupees (65,820 baht)
“There are many companies run by Chinese-speaking people. All of them are scammers. We were sold to those companies,” Neil said.
“When we get there Hope is shattered If mother doesn’t pay the ransom I would have been tortured like everyone else.”
Neil’s family paid the gang 600,000 Indian rupees (263,000 baht) in exchange for his release. After he refused to take part in the scam. While staying there He witnessed the cruel punishments meted out to people who did not achieve their goals. or unable to find money to pay the ransom
After being released Thai authorities helped him return to India. His family has taken legal action against a local job broker.
Image source, NOPPORN WICHACHAT
image captionNeil returned to India in less than two weeks with the help of Thai authorities
Thai officials are working with many countries. to help victims receive repatriation. However, a senior official at the Thai Ministry of Justice told the BBC that The total number of people who have been helped is still very few. If compared with the number of detainees in camps operating in neighboring countries,
“We need to communicate more with the world. Educate people about these criminal gangs. So that they can protect themselves from becoming victims,” said Police Lieutenant Colonel Piya Raksakul, deputy director-general of Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI).
Human trafficking gangs often use Bangkok. It is the center of travel within the region. Deputy Director-General of the DSI stated that Because people from many countries including India and Sri Lanka People can enter Thailand with a Visa on Arrival. “Criminals take advantage of this and smuggle people to work for them,” Police Lieutenant Colonel Piya said.
How does the scam work?
Ravi revealed that He was ordered to target wealthy men. Especially in the western world by creating a romantic relationship using a stolen phone number social media and messaging platforms
They deal directly with their victims. This generally leads the victim to believe that the first message This is often just a simple “Hello” sent accidentally.
Ravi said some people ignore the message. But lonely people or those looking for sex are often the victims.
After they do that A group of young women at the camp are forced to take nude photos to increase their attraction to their target.
Image source, NOPPORN WICHACHAT
image captionNeil the Indian victim Received assistance from the Thai authorities
After exchanging hundreds of messages in just a few days. Scammers will gain the trust of these people. and persuaded them to invest large amounts of money in fake online trading platforms.
Fake apps display false investment and profit information.
“If they transfer $100,000, we refund them $50,000 saying this is profit. This makes the victim feel like they now have $150,000, but in reality, They will only get back half of the initial $100,000. The other half is with us,” Ravi explains.
When a scammer is able to swindle money from that victim until the end. Accounts on messaging apps and social media profiles will also be closed.
It is difficult to estimate the scale of this activity. But the FBI said in its 2023 Internet Crime Report that there were more than 17,000 love and trust complaints in the United States. and had a total damage value of 652 million US dollars (23,874 billion baht).
Mental and physical scars
After being detained for one month Ravi said he was sold to another gang because the “company” he was initially working for went “bankrupt.” He was passed on to three different gangs during his six months stranded in Myanmar.
He told the new gang leader that He could no longer deceive people. and begged to be returned to Sri Lanka
One day, a confrontation with the gang’s leader led to a fight. Ravi was taken to a prison cell and tortured for 16 days.
Finally, the “Chinese boss” came to see Ravi and made an offer. “Last chance” for him to return to work again This was a new opportunity because of his expertise in computer software.
“I have no choice. At that time, half my body was paralyzed,” he added.
Image source, NOPPORN WICHACHAT
image captionVictims released from cybercriminal camps in Myanmar take this photo as they head towards the border
Over the next four months, Ravi managed his Facebook account using a VPN, artificial intelligence app. and 3D video camera
Meanwhile, Ravi begs for permission to travel back to Sri Lanka to visit his sick mother.
The gang leader agreed to release him. If he pays a ransom of 600,000 Sri Lankan rupees (72,000 baht) and another 200,000 Sri Lankan rupees (24,200 baht) for crossing the river and entering Thailand.
His parents took out a loan with their house as collateral and transferred the money to him. and Ravi was taken back to Mae Sot.
Later, he was fined 20,000 baht at the airport for not having a visa. Ravi’s parents had to borrow additional money.
“When I returned to Sri Lanka I have a debt of 1,850,000 Sri Lankan rupees (224,000 baht),” he said.
He might be home now. But Ravi hardly saw his new bride.
“I worked day and night in my garage to pay off this debt. We pawned our two wedding rings to pay the interest,” he said bitterly.
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