Srinagar: Thirteen youths from Jammu and Kashmir, who were trafficked to Myanmar through a cyber-fraud network, have been safely brought back home, officials said on Thursday.
SSP Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) Tahir Ashraf said the victims were lured through fake job offers on social media, particularly Facebook.
Most of them, being educated young individuals, were tricked by fraudulent advertisements offering data entry jobs in foreign countries, especially Thailand, he said.
After participating in online interviews, they were provided tickets or asked to arrange their own travel. However, upon arrival, they realized they had been trapped in a cyber scam and taken to Myanmar, Tahir said.
Once intelligence agencies received information about their situation, authorities acted swiftly to ensure their safe return. “We took immediate steps and successfully rescued 13 youths. They have been brought back with full security and are undergoing proper counselling,” SSP Ashraf said.
He further stated that while the investigation is in its preliminary stage, there is no national security threat linked to the case.
“These citizens were honeytrapped on the pretext of jobs. We were receiving inputs about people from J&K being lured and stuck there. In a nutshell, they were being used for sextortion,” Tahir added. (JKNS)
