270 Indians Repatriated from Mae Sot as India Plans More Flights

India began repatriating hundreds of citizens who fled a cyber scam centre in Myanmar, with two military aircraft ferrying back 270 nationals from the Thai border town of Mae Sot. The Indian nationals included 26 women and were reported to have crossed into Thailand from Myawaddy in Myanmar, where they were allegedly working in the scam hub. The repatriation was coordinated by the Indian embassy in Bangkok and the consulate in Chiang Mai, which worked with Thai authorities to facilitate the process.

The returnees will be taken to an Indian airbase in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where they will be refuelled before flying on to New Delhi. Upon their arrival, investigative agencies will question them to determine who among them were victims and who may have been involved in running or facilitating the scams. They will not be allowed to return home immediately until legal processes are completed.

Thai authorities detained the Indians for immigration violations after their border crossing. Officials have noted that a larger number of Indians reportedly crossed the border late last month. While some are said to be victims lured by promises of lucrative jobs, others are alleged to have participated in the scams. The embassy’s coordination with Thai authorities aims to ensure proper due process and screening as the investigation proceeds.

In parallel reports, authorities indicated additional repatriation flights are planned on Friday to bring back more Indian nationals from Thailand, with other batches potentially including hundreds more. The broader effort reflects ongoing cooperation between India and Thailand to address the fallout from the cyberscam centre and to support citizens affected by the cross-border situation.

Cover image source: India deploys military aircraft to repatriate citizens who fled to Thailand from Myanmar scam centre 🔗

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