More than 1,000 people, including dozens, possibly hundreds of Indian nationals, fled from Myanmar into Thailand this week after the country’s military conducted a raid on one of Southeast Asia’s largest cybercrime compounds, according to reports from news agencies and local media.

Thai media outlet Khaosod reported that 399 Indian nationals — the single largest group among those who crossed the border — were involved in the exodus. However, this figure has not been independently verified. The Ministry of External Affairs of India did not respond to requests for comment on the situation.

The mass movement of people followed a military raid on Monday targeting the notorious KK Park compound in Karen State, located just across the border from Thailand. KK Park is one of Myanmar’s sprawling complexes where thousands of workers are employed in sophisticated online scams. The operations include so-called “pig butchering” schemes, in which fraudsters spend months cultivating romantic or friendship relationships with victims before persuading them to invest in fake cryptocurrency platforms.

While some workers in these compounds participate voluntarily in the multibillion-dollar illicit industry, many are victims of human trafficking. They are lured with false promises of legitimate jobs, then held captive under armed guard and forced to defraud people worldwide, facing physical abuse if they resist.

The operations have proliferated along Myanmar’s borders amid the country’s ongoing civil conflict, often protected by military-allied militias who profit from the illegal enterprises. Thai authorities confirmed that among the evacuees were nationals from China (147), along with individuals from Vietnam, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Nepal, and 31 Thai nationals.

This is not the first instance of Indians being trapped in Myanmar’s cyber scam compounds. In March, India repatriated 549 citizens after they were freed during a crackdown along the Myanmar-Thailand border. Many of those individuals, hailing from states including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, had been lured with false IT sector job offers before being trafficked to centers predominantly run by Chinese criminal networks. The Ministry of External Affairs has repeatedly warned Indians about such fraudulent job rackets in Southeast Asia.

Eyewitnesses from KK Park described chaotic scenes during the raid. One Thai resident told Thai PBS, “I was sleeping when I heard loud knocking and people shouting at us in Chinese. They were carrying guns.” Video footage captured people using foam boxes to float across the Moei River into Thailand, where security personnel were waiting to verify identities, search luggage, and provide humanitarian assistance including food, water, and medical supplies.

Thai officials confirmed that arrivals would be screened to determine whether they were victims of human trafficking; those found not to be victims could face prosecution for illegal border crossing. Some individuals were found to have criminal records flagged in international databases, according to Khaosod. Mobile biometric identification systems are being used to verify identities and check for criminal records.

The raid comes amid increasing international pressure on Myanmar’s military to shut down scam operations. An AFP investigation last week revealed the extensive use of Starlink satellite internet devices at such centers, which allowed compounds to bypass local infrastructure. SpaceX, the operator of Starlink, reported disabling over 2,500 devices at Myanmar’s scam centers, while Myanmar state media confirmed the seizure of Starlink terminals during the KK Park raid.

Experts note that Myanmar’s military has historically turned a blind eye to these cybercrime hubs, which provide profits to militia allies crucial to their campaigns against rebel groups. Additionally, China has reportedly pressured the junta to curb these operations, frustrated by the large number of Chinese nationals involved in the scams, either as victims or perpetrators.