Operation Cyber Slaves: Stories of ‘Golden Triangle’, network of fake job offers

The infamous “Golden Triangle,” once synonymous with drug trafficking, now hosts a more insidious trade — cyber slavery. Thousands of individuals, including many Indians, are lured by fake job offers and find themselves trapped in brutal exploitation rings operated by Chinese syndicates in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. India Today’s Special Investigation Team managed to track down and record the harrowing accounts of three survivors: Pradeep Kushawaha, Nandan Sah, and Rohit Sharma.
Pradeep Kushawaha, an engineering graduate from Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, left India in October 2023 to work as the manager of an Indian restaurant in Chiang Mai, Thailand. A lucrative job offer in May this year promised a 40 percent salary hike, but it turned out to be a trap.
On May 12, Pradeep travelled to Mae Sot, Thailand, for an interview. Upon arrival, he was told to board another vehicle for the final location. Instead of a job interview, he was kidnapped at gunpoint by two armed men.
“They drove me about 40–50 kilometres to the Myanmar border, forced me to cross a river, and took me to a gated complex guarded by armed men,” says Pradeep.
In Myanmar, Pradeep was confined to a sprawling, heavily guarded building where Chinese supervisors dictated every aspect of his life. Alongside others, he was forced to carry out online scams targeting victims in India, Europe, and the Middle East.
“They beat me with sticks, whipped me, and used electric shocks as punishment. I was living in constant fear, surrounded by people who were just as trapped as I was,” narrates Pradeep.
The physical abuse wasn’t the worst part for Pradeep. He was haunted by the knowledge that he was scamming his own countrymen. Driven by guilt, he secretly recorded videos of the conditions and sent them to his family and the Indian Embassy.
Pradeep’s bravery came at a steep price. His captors discovered the recordings and subjected him to even more severe torture. “From July 1 to July 20, they tortured me daily. They searched my room, found the videos, and punished me brutally with electric shocks and beatings,” he recalls.
Under mounting diplomatic pressure, the syndicate agreed to release Pradeep but demanded a hefty ransom of Rs 10 lakh. His family managed to raise the money within 10 days. Even after the ransom was paid, he wasn’t freed until the Myanmar army raided the facility and rescued him, along with five others.
However, freedom came with another ordeal. Pradeep was held in a Myanmar army camp and later in a prison before being handed over to the Thai police.
“In the Myanmar prison, conditions were inhumane. We were given little food and kept in filthy surroundings. It was only after pleading guilty in a Thai court that I could return to India on August 27.”
Early this year, Nandan Sah, a young man from Bihar’s West Champaran, paid Rs 1.3 lakh to a Delhi-based agent for a high-paying electrician’s job in Cambodia. Excited about the opportunity, Nandan didn’t realise he was walking into a nightmare.
Upon arrival, Nandan was taken to a massive housing complex in Cambodia’s Svay Rieng Province. Instead of an electrician’s job, he was thrust into a Chinese-run cyber scam operation targeting Indian citizens.
“They handed me a special phone and system to connect with Indians on WhatsApp. My task was to deceive them into investing in fraudulent schemes,” says Nandan.
The complex where Nandan was held was designed to keep workers trapped. It had facilities like supermarkets, bars, and shared flats, but all exits were guarded.
As Nandan’s guilt grew, he attempted to reach out to the agent who had sent him. Instead of helping, the agent threatened him. When Nandan protested further, he was beaten severely and left for dead on the roadside.
“They beat me so badly I thought I’d never see my family again. Somehow, I survived and made it back to India,” says a relieved Nandan.
Rohit Sharma, a 35-year-old from Himachal Pradesh, worked for Infosys in Chandigarh. Earlier this year, he contacted Right Step Overseas Consultants in Chandigarh after seeing an online post about a data entry job in Cambodia. The consultancy charged him Rs 30,000 as a processing fee, but what awaited him was far from what was promised.
Rohit was taken to a site in Cambodia’s Kampot Province, near an infamous casino complex. There, he joined a team of 12 people from different countries, all working under the supervision of a Chinese national.
“Our job was to scam Indians for money. If I didn’t meet their targets, they beat me, deprived me of food, and locked me in dark rooms,” recalls Rohit.
Rohit tried to warn some of the victims by secretly messaging them about the scams. His defiance didn’t go unnoticed. “They chained me to a window grill, beat me with batons and baseball bats, and kept me awake for two days. They said they would kill me and throw me into the sea,” he shudders while recalling his living hell.
Eventually, the syndicate dumped Rohit at the airport, tearing his passport in his face. Through sheer determination and the support of his family, Rohit managed to return to India, physically battered but relieved to be alive.
These survivors’ stories are just a glimpse into the broader crisis. The “Golden Triangle,” encompassing parts of Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, has become a hub for organised Chinese crime syndicates. Victims are lured with fake job offers and forced into cyber slavery, often enduring extreme abuse.
The stories of Pradeep, Nandan, and Rohit highlight the dangers of falling for dubious job offers in foreign countries. While these survivors managed to return home, many others remain trapped, enslaved, or missing.