Cyber slavery in Myanmar, staged encounters in UP: What it took to uncover these stories this year

Young Indians with hopes and aspirations trapped in the dark underbelly of cyber slavery in Myanmar. Families in Uttar Pradesh living in fear of police ‘half-encounters’. And a year spent telling stories of people fighting to survive. 

Many of these stories stayed with me. But one of the most harrowing ones involved young Indians trafficked by transnational crime syndicates into Myanmar’s forced labour camps, where they were enslaved in cyber scam operations. Lured with promises of jobs, these people were brought to Myanmar via Thailand by an organised network of fraudsters that arranged the entire journey. 

Victims of such syndicates can’t leave, have no phones, and no freedom. The torture is horrific. Some eventually escape by paying huge ransoms, forcing families to sell their land and homes to secure the release of their loved ones.

Our 42-minute documentary in May highlighted this entire network that trapped hundreds of educated youth in India. This is part of a larger global story. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), approximately 28 million people were trapped in forced labour in 2021 alone, with traffickers exploiting vulnerable people seeking better lives through fraud or coercion. With growing poverty, conflict and restrictive immigration policies, this problem has only worsened. 

Uncovering this story of cyber slavery in Myanmar took months of travel, reporting, risks, and countless obstacles – each a story in itself.     

The biggest challenge I encountered was convincing the victims to speak on camera. Dozens of victims refused to meet us, fearing social stigma. After considerable effort, we managed to convince some of these victims to speak to us, but even then they refused to reveal their names or faces on camera. 

Several conversations threw up one name: “Shankar”. Several victims claimed he was the one who brokered their release for a ransom. The Indian government publicised the victims’ return as a rescue operation, but Shankar was present in many of the pictures released after the return. 

We tried to understand Shankar’s exact role in these operations and whether the government tasked him to mediate the release of these victims. We got at least seven phone numbers, but all of them remained switched off. We then asked the Indian embassies in Thailand and Myanmar, as well as the Ministry of External Affairs. Only the Indian Embassy in Myanmar responded, stating that no intermediary had been appointed by either the Myanmar or Indian authorities. 

This further deepened the mystery. Was Shankar acting alone? Who was behind the extortion racket?

Myanmar wasn’t the only story with unanswered questions.

‘Half-encounters’ in UP

Amid Uttar Pradesh’s surge in encounters, the scope is widening for ‘Operation Langda’ – ‘half-encounters’ where the police apprehend alleged criminals after shooting them in the leg. 

To investigate these cases, we visited several cities – Kanpur, Mathura, Aligarh and Gautam Buddha Nagar. We examined CCTV footage, FIRs, the location and time of the encounters, and all the police versions.

Most of those who have faced action under these ‘half-encounters’ come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who struggle to navigate the courts. For example, Hemant, a young DJ operator from Mathura. Police held him for days, then shot him in the leg during a staged encounter. CCTV footage showed he was already in custody before he was shot at. 

After our investigation in August, I started getting calls from people in Mathura, where I had stayed for three days. The callers claimed to be local journalists. Their questions were almost identical: Who helped you? Where did you stay? Who were you in contact with? And let us know next time you come to Mathura.

Initially, I thought this was normal, but soon my suspicions grew. I received a call from the person who helped me with the story. They told me, “Don’t tell anyone who helped you in Mathura. The police are asking local journalists: ‘Who helped this reporter from Delhi?’”

My source also told me the police had visited my hotel, asking staff who had come to meet me. Something similar happened after my reporting in Kanpur and Greater Noida.

As a reporter, these reports were about uncovering the truth amidst surveillance, pressure, and risk. There are many such untold stories waiting to happen. I hope you continue to support us so that these stories eventually reach the public domain.

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