How Three Telangana Men Survived Myanmar’s Cyber-Scam Hubs
HYDERABAD: For three young men from Telangana, the promise of a stable overseas job turned into months of confinement, coercion and forced cybercrime inside the dense clusters of KK Parks in Myanmar. Their stories documented in FIRs reveal a pattern of recruitment through social media, quick processing by freelance agents and the lure of high salaries for routine data-entry roles in Bangkok. Their escape, however, came not through negotiation or rescue operations, but through the unexpected arrival of Myanmar’s army.
The lure of overseas work and rising vulnerabilities
The victims shared a common desire: to earn better and support their families. Each had faced career setbacks or unstable earnings.
Varun Vegi, 29, a civil engineer who returned from Australia in 2023, slipped into financial distress after losses in a business he started in Hyderabad. In December 2024, he applied for work through a website called “Abroad Gateways”. After he paid ₹2,50,000 to an agent named Mahesh, his visa for a construction job in Serbia was rejected. When he sought alternatives, he was offered a data-entry job in Bangkok with a salary of ₹80,000 per month. He was then directed to a recruiter called Arnold on Telegram.
Sharan Vulkundakar, 30, had discontinued studies after Intermediate due to a financial crisis. He worked as a driver, sales executive and helper at his family’s mutton shop, but his earnings were insufficient for household expenses. In June 2025, he attempted to work in Malaysia on a visit visa but returned without securing employment. Three months later, an Instagram post advertising jobs in Thailand led him to an agent named Govardhan, who sought ₹25,000 for a data-entry role promising ₹70,000 to ₹80,000.
Jeevanreddy Sangireddy, 29, had completed SSC, ITI and a diploma. He had earlier worked in maintenance roles at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and on contract at the Defence Research and Development Laboratory. While searching for work in Bengaluru, he joined a WhatsApp group titled “Bangalore Jobs”. An agent named Naveen offered him a data-entry job in Bangkok, promising visa, accommodation and food. The commission demanded was ₹2,00,000.
How the online offers turned into trafficking routes
All three victims received rapid processing once they agreed to the offers. Their documents were collected through messaging apps, and they were given hotel bookings and flight tickets to Thailand. Each man travelled alone, believing he was starting a legitimate job.
Varun flew on July 4, 2025. Sharan reached Thailand on October 11, 2025. Jeevanreddy travelled on September 15, 2025 after booking his own flight when his agent insisted he proceed.
On landing in Bangkok, they were picked up by intermediaries who transported them across the border into Myanmar. Their destinations were the KK scam hubs: Varun to KK5 Park, Sharan to KK4 Park and Jeevanreddy to KK1 Park. Inside these guarded complexes, they were forced into cyberfraud operations.
Rumours of raids spark a mass flight
By late October, rumours circulated among workers inside the KK Parks that the Myanmar army was preparing to raid the complexes. On October 22, 2025, the management instructed labourers to remain inside their accommodation. Soon after, the army arrived.
Workers saw Chinese management staff fleeing. Taking advantage of the moment, hundreds attempted to escape.
Varun and nearly 2,000 others walked close to 20 km towards the Myanmar border. Sharan and his friend headed first towards a river crossing but changed course when they heard it was closed. They moved towards the Thailand–Myanmar friendship bridge, joining a crowd of people attempting to cross. Jeevanreddy and a group of Indians trekked roughly 20 km towards the border.
Detention at the border and 28 days in a shed
Escape did not mean immediate safety. At the border points, Myanmar’s army intercepted several groups.
Varun was detained on arrival at the border. The Thailand army refused to permit crossings, forcing Sharan and others back into Myanmar, where they were moved to a shed in trucks. Jeevanreddy’s group was also picked up by a rescue team and shifted to the same shed.
The shed became a temporary holding site for hundreds. Many detainees were from India, Nepal and the Philippines. During the 28 days they spent there, the men met several others from Telangana who had arrived through similar job offers.
Repatriation begins after embassy intervention
The detainees repeatedly asked the Myanmar army about immigration procedures and contacted the Indian Embassy by phone. After nearly four weeks, the army completed the formalities and handed them over to Indian officials.
From Myanmar, they were transferred to Thailand and placed on flights arranged with embassy support. They reached Delhi on November 19, 2025. Varun met 11 others returning on the same day. Sharan identified several passengers from Telangana on flight AI-2449. From Delhi, they were brought to Hyderabad by the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau.
A pattern of recruitment still under investigation
The three FIRs filed after their return reflect similar methods of deception: social media posts, Telegram coordination, free visas, quick job confirmations and pressure to pay commissions.
Police are examining the role of the agents named in the complaints and the networks that routed job-seekers from India to Thailand and then to Myanmar.
The experiences of the complainants highlight the rising vulnerability of young job-seekers to online recruitment fraud. Their escape, facilitated only by the unexpected arrival of the Myanmar army, underscores the scale and complexity of trafficking operations around Southeast Asia’s cyber-scam hubs.
