Cyber slavery
Why in news?
Gujarat Police arrested Nilesh Purohit ("The Ghost") on December 7, 2025, for trafficking over 500 people from multiple countries to Myanmar and Cambodia scam centers via Thailand and Dubai.
About Cyber slavery
Cyber slavery involves human trafficking networks forcing victims into scam centers, primarily in Myanmar and Cambodia, where they perpetrate online fraud like romance scams and cryptocurrency schemes under threat of torture.
Key Hubs and Operations
- Myanmar's Myawaddy region, including KK Park and Shwe Kokko, hosts major scam compounds run by Chinese syndicates, militias, and rebels amid civil unrest.
- Cambodia features over 50 compounds with widespread official complicity, enabling torture, electrocution, and debt bondage for non-performers.
- Victims endure 18-hour shifts under surveillance, facing death threats for refusal.​
Global Impact
- These operations generate massive fraud losses, like $256 million from digital arrest scams in months, funding crime syndicates in Dubai and China.
- A five-tier victimization model describes progression: from job fraud to forced cybercrime, then legal prosecution via traceable activity.
- Hotspots include Myanmar's lawless border regions amid civil conflict.
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