Srinagar: Thirteen youths from Jammu and Kashmir, who fell victim to a cyber-fraud trafficking network and were taken to Myanmar, have been safely brought back home, officials said on Wednesday.
SSP Counter Intelligence Kashmir, Tahir Ashraf, revealed that the individuals were deceived through fake job offers circulating on social media platforms, particularly Facebook. The victims, mostly educated young men, were lured by fraudulent advertisements promising lucrative data entry jobs in foreign countries, especially Thailand.
“These youths were subjected to online interviews and either provided with travel tickets or asked to arrange their own journey. However, upon arrival, they realized they had been trapped in a cyber scam and taken to Myanmar instead,” SSP Ashraf stated.
Upon receiving intelligence about their situation, authorities swiftly intervened to facilitate their safe return. “Immediate action was taken, and all 13 individuals were successfully rescued. They have been brought back under full security and are currently undergoing counseling and debriefing,” he added.
Officials have urged the public, especially job seekers, to exercise caution while responding to overseas employment offers on social media to prevent such incidents in the future. [KNT]
