'Sold for Rs 5 lakh each': Three Mira Road men escape digital slavery in Laos

A promising overseas job opportunity turned into a horrifying ordeal for three Mira Road residents who recently returned to India after escaping a brutal cybercrime syndicate in Laos Stripped of their passports dignity health and hope the men now seek justice The victimsmdasha cab driver a pest control technician and a media graduateturnedaccountantmdashwere lured into the scheme by childhood friends who had turned into agents for international human traffickersTheir Chinese boss who has allegedly been running a cybercrime hub in Laos PicBy Special ArrangementThe eyes of Sayed Zakir Abbas 30 Shaban Salim 25 and Ismail Sayed 35 still carry the weight of sleepless nights broken trust and shattered dreams They were promised highpaying call centre jobs in Southeast Asia by three traffickersmdashall residents of Mira Road Once in Laos they were handed over to a Chineserun cybercrime racketChildhood friends turned agents lured Mira Road job seekers with fake Laos call centre offers promising Rs 70000monthldquoWe were sold for Rs 5 lakh each to Chinese handlersrdquo Abbas told midday ldquoThey took our passports as soon as we crossed into Laos Thatrsquos when the horror beganrdquo The trio had no offer letters when they flew to Bangkok Still they believed in the promise of better lives abroad But once in Laos they were forced to work 16hour shifts fed food infested with hair metal particles and wires and denied any medical aid Their passports were confiscated and they were held in guarded compounds under constant surveillance ldquoWe were crammed into small rooms The scam centre reeked of fear and despairrdquo said SalimThe trio flew to Bangkok then travelled by road and boat to Laos carrying only their belongings and phonesThe men were coerced into operating ldquopig butchering scamsrdquo targeting young Americans and Europeans using dating and investment apps They were given iPhones with US and local SIM cards to carry out the digital fraud In a daring escape on March 31 Abbas took advantage of a security lapse stole 17 iPhones and fled the compound into a nearby jungle ldquoThere were no roads no food no sheltermdashjust the hope of seeing my family againrdquo said Abbas who had reached Laos on November 28 2024On arrival a Chinese scammer with an armed guard seized their passports he had paid Rs 5 lakh per victimDeclared ldquoWANTEDrdquo by his Chinese boss Chison Abbasrsquos face appeared on fake posters circulated to local authorities accusing him of drug trafficking Despite this his documents were returned and his family was paid Rs 70000 to keep quiet He finally returned to Mumbai on April 9 ldquoIt was during a call with my father on Eid that I broke down That moment gave me the strength to runrdquo Abbas saidThey were trained in guarded compounds to scam wealthy foreigners using phones headsets and scriptsIsmail Sayed who studied only up to class 6 in an Urdu school said ldquoI told the agent I didnrsquot even know how to use a computer But he said the job was easy and wellpayingrdquo After realising the fraud Ismail staged a weeklong hunger strike in March to get his passport back He returned to India via Kolkata on April 1 thanks to friends who helped fund his journeyOne victim escaped by pocketing 17 iPhones during a shift change quietly slipping out of the compoundSalim the third escapee vomited blood due to stress and malnutrition ldquoThey didnrsquot care I begged for help They told me Irsquod have to pay for any treatment even though they never paid us salariesrdquo He finally walked away from the scam centre surviving on fruit donated by a local vendor and sleeping on footpaths for 15 days before returning to Mumbai on April 30He wandered barefoot through the jungle negotiated his dues and returned Others escaped citing health issues or hunger strikes Trio is now back in Mumbai traumatised illustrationsUday MohiteThe duo Salim and Ismail along with another friend Lucky Ali were trafficked through a wellcoordinated route flown to Bangkok driven to Chiang Rai and smuggled across a river into Laos in November last year Lucky Ali is still stuck in Laos ldquoI didnrsquot even want to go abroadrdquo said Ismail ldquoBut I trusted my childhood friend and he sold merdquoIsmail Sayed right Sayed Zakir Abbas PicsDiwakar SharmaThey estimate hundreds of Indians are still trapped in Laos many without basic digital skills enslaved in scam centres guarded like military installations ldquoThese agents should be hangedrdquo Abbas said ldquoThey betrayed our trust and almost got us killed Irsquom collecting evidence I want justicerdquo Even as the trauma lingers the three men are determined to rebuild their livesmdashand warn others never to fall for such promises againatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params