CBI Cracks Down on Southeast Asia Hub for Digital Arrest Scams, Arrests 13 Suspects

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In a major crackdown, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against 13 suspects in a cyber fraud case, revealing that slave compounds in Myanmar and neighboring areas have become key hubs for digital arrest scams targeting Indian citizens. The masterminds behind the scams, based in Cambodia, China, and Hong Kong, have been using Indian nationals forced to work in call centers to dupe people. The CBI has been investigating multiple digital arrest scams originating from Southeast Asia, where Indian nationals were being coerced into working in call centers to defraud people. Last month, India brought back nearly 500 citizens who had fled to Thailand from a notorious cyber scam center in Myanmar. In March, 549 Indians were freed and brought back from cybercrime centers along the Myanmar-Thailand border. The CBI has been conducting a focused, case-by-case crackdown under Operation Chakra-V against organized transnational cybercrimes. The agency has carried out coordinated searches across several states and recovered incriminating material, including electronic devices, communication logs, financial records, and other digital evidence. According to the CBI, an analysis of over 15,000 IP addresses associated with the scam networks revealed extensive cross-border connections and bank accounts used to collect and route funds controlled by the masterminds. The agency has identified India-based IP addresses and isolated domestic operatives, enabling targeted searches and identification of domestic operatives. The CBI has also cited intelligence gathered during parallel investigations into cyber-slavery and organized digital exploitation networks in Southeast Asia. The agency has generated significant leads on the financial trail, call flow patterns, VoIP routing, remote access tool misuse, and the broader technology infrastructure supporting digital arrest scams. The CBI remains committed to identifying, targeting, and dismantling organized digital fraud ecosystems—both within India and across borders—through a combination of technical intelligence, financial tracking, human intelligence, and coordinated enforcement action.