The MEA has been actively pursuing the case of Indians being trapped in fake job rackets in Myanmar

Thirteen more Indian citizens who had been trapped in fake job rackets in Myanmar have been rescued. They reached Chennai, Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Twitter.

Thirty-two Indians had already been rescued earlier, thanks to the efforts of the Indian Embassies in Myanmar and Thailand, he added.

"We have been actively pursuing the case of Indians being trapped in fake job rackets in Myanmar. Thanks to the efforts of @IndiainMyanmar & @IndiainThailand, around 32 Indians had already been rescued. Another 13 Indian citizens have now been rescued,& reached Tamil Nadu today," Bagchi said in the first of a series of tweets providing information about the latest developments.

Some more Indian citizens have been rescued from their fake employers and are in custody of Myanmar authorities for illegal entry into that country, he said in a subsequent tweet. Legal formalities have been initiated to get them repatriated at the earliest, he added.

According to the MEA Spokesperson, similar job rackets have also come to light in Laos and Cambodia.

"Instances of similar job rackets have also come to light in Laos and Cambodia. Our Embassies in Vientiane, Phnom Penh and Bangkok have been helping in repatriating people from there," he tweeted.

"We would reiterate extreme caution in accepting dubious employment offers overseas," Bagchi said.

Details of agents allegedly involved in this job racket have been shared with relevant authorities in various States in India for appropriate action, he tweeted.

Last month, the MEA had issued an advisory against scams involving fraudulent job offers in Thailand that target young Indians with an IT background.

According to the MEA advisory issued on September 24, "Instances of fake job rackets offering lucrative jobs to entice Indian youths for the posts of 'Digital Sales and Marketing Executives' in Thailand by dubious IT firms involved in call-centre scam and crypto-currency fraud have come to our notice recently by our Missions in Bangkok and Myanmar".

The target groups for these rackets are IT skilled youth who are duped in the name of lucrative data entry jobs in Thailand through social media advertisements as well as by Dubai and India based agents, the ministry had pointed out.

The victims are reportedly taken across the border illegally, mostly into Myanmar, and held captive to work under harsh conditions. Therefore, Indian nationals are advised not to get entrapped in such fake job offers being floated through social media platforms or other sources, the advisory said.

Before travelling on tourist/visit visa for employment purposes, Indian nationals are advised to check/verify credentials of foreign employers through concerned Missions abroad, and antecedents of recruiting agents as well as any company before taking up any job offer, the MEA advisory added.