70 Kannadigas escaped KK-Park cybercrime hub in Myanmar, Cyber Command to interrogate

Bengaluru

Around 70 individuals from Karnataka, who were trapped at the notorious KK-Park — a major cyber scam hub in southeastern Myanmar — have managed to escape.

During recent military operations launched by Myanmar’s army, nearly 500 Indians, including several Kannadigas, fled across the border into Mae Sot, Thailand, in October. Following this, the Indian government dispatched a special aircraft to repatriate the detained Indians from Thailand. Among them, 70 are confirmed to be from Karnataka.

A senior official from the Karnataka Home Department told blrpost.com that personnel from the newly formed Karnataka Cyber Command will interrogate the 70 individuals in New Delhi on Wednesday, November 7, 2025. “These Kannadigas were used for executing cyber frauds,” the official said.

Preliminary information suggests the victims were lured to Myanmar with promises of lucrative job opportunities, only to be coerced into large-scale cybercrime operations upon arrival. KK-Park is considered one of the world’s biggest cybercrime hubs, where victims are reportedly confined, forced to work. The park has large compounds. 

Authorities expect to extract vital information and digital evidence from the returnees, including insights into the modus operandi, target demographics, and network structure of the scam syndicates.

According to officials, the group crossed a river into Thailand while fleeing Myanmar’s military offensive. They were subsequently detained by Thai authorities, who alerted the Indian government. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had earlier confirmed that “India will repatriate 500 of its citizens who recently crossed into Thailand after fleeing a cyber scam hub in Myanmar,” as reported by the Bangkok Post on October 29, 2025.

Global spotlight on cybercrime hubs

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, speaking at the 20th East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 27, expressed concern over the growing number of Indians trapped in cyber scam centres across Southeast Asia. “India shares the concern about cyber scam centres in the region which have also entrapped our nationals,” Jaishankar said, urging collective regional action.

In Thailand, Prime Minister Anutin has declared the crackdown on cross-border online scam networks a national security priority, warning that such crimes pose a threat to Thailand’s economic stability and global reputation.

Meanwhile, Myanmar’s ongoing raids on KK-Park have led to an exodus of more than 1,500 individuals of various nationalities into Thailand in the past week. Many of these cybercrime operations are reportedly run from border regions of Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, where weak law enforcement and civil unrest provide safe havens for such syndicates.

Investigations also reveal that several of these networks use Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service to evade detection and sustain operations. The alarming rise in “digital arrest” scams and global cyber frauds in the post-pandemic period has drawn international attention and prompted coordinated enforcement efforts across the region.