Five Held for Trafficking Telangana Job-Seekers to Myanmar Cybercrime Camps
HYDERABAD: The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has arrested five persons from Hyderabad, Mysuru and Visakhapatnam for trafficking local job-seekers to cybercrime compounds in Myanmar. The accused allegedly lured victims with fake overseas employment offers and forced them into online fraud operations run by foreign handlers.
According to TGCSB officials, the arrests were made under Crime Nos. 49/2025 and 50/2025 of the Cybercrime Police Station (Headquarters), Hyderabad, under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Emigration Act and the Information Technology Act, 2008.
Victims rescued from Myanmar
Two Telangana victims Sharan and Sangireddy Jeevan Reddy approached the TGCSB on November 22, 2025, stating they were deceived with job promises and taken to Myawaddy, Myanmar. Their passports were seized and they were confined to work for 16–18 hours daily in cybercrime units.
After being detained by the Myanmar Army on October 22, 2025, the victims were held for 25 days before being handed to the Indian Embassy and repatriated via Mae Sot, Thailand. They reached Delhi on November 20, 2025.
Network exposed through SIT probe
Following the Ministry of Home Affairs coordinated repatriation, TGCSB formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe trafficking networks. The bureau brought back 45 returnees to Hyderabad, recorded their statements, and analysed digital evidence.
The arrested accused were identified as Vasam Govardhan (Warangal), Banothu Madanlal (Warangal Rural), Syed Mohammad Madani alias Max (Mysuru), Suggana Sudheer Kumar (Krishna district), and Gangala Naveen (Hyderabad).
Officials said Govardhan, who ran an unlicensed recruitment agency named YUGA in Warangal, recruited candidates through social media. He collaborated with Madanlal and Sudheer Kumar, who had previously worked in Myanmar’s “HS company”, earning USD 3,000–5,000 per recruit. Victims were interviewed via Instagram or Telegram and sent to Thailand before being trafficked to Myawaddy.
In another case, Naveen allegedly charged ₹2 lakh per candidate and sent them via Bangkok for similar fraudulent roles. When victims resisted, they were threatened and asked to pay USD 5,000 for release.
Public advisory issued
TGCSB urged citizens to verify overseas job offers and agents, avoid upfront payments, and report suspicious activity to the cybercrime helpline (1930) or www.cybercrime.gov.in.
Director, TGCSB, appreciated the efforts of K.V.M. Prasad (DySP), SHO CCPS, and SIT members N. Venu Gopal Reddy, Laxmi Narayana, Dattadri, Ramu Naik and Sravan Kumar for their role in the investigation.
