MIRI — Eight Sarawakians were allegedly lured by advertisements of high paying jobs to venture into the central Asean region, but ended up being forced by crime syndicates to work as scammers in Myanmar.
Sarawak police chief Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri today said police have received reports about these cases and started investigations.
"So far, there are reports of eight Sarawakians caught up in this situation in Myanmar.
"They were reportedly lured by high paying jobs to go to that region but they ended up being forced by syndicates there to become scammers to cheat victims there," he said in a press statement.
The state police are trying to find ways to locate and help them, he said.
This latest statement from Azman is the second time in the past week of Sarawakians allegedly caught up by such scams in Myanmar.
On September 23, two young Sarawakian men from Sarikei district in central Sarawak had sent SOS WhatsApp messages from Myanmar to their family back home pleading for help.
They had allegedly been lured into Thailand for work by an advertisement on social media, but were then forced by syndicates there to go into Myanmar to work as scammers for a syndicate targeting victims in that country.
The two young men are aged 29 and 35 and related to each other and from the Sarikei district.
Sarikei district police chief Supt Awang Arfian Awang Bujang had said the sister of the 29 year old man had lodged a police report saying that her brother and relative had sent her WhatsApp messages saying they had been held by scammers in Myanmar.
"The woman said her brother and relative had gone to Thailand recently to work after seeing ads on social media offering jobs that pay RM3,000 per month.
"The duo had recently sent messages pleading for urgent help as they had been forced by scam syndicates to go into Myanmar.
"The two claimed that they are being held captives in Myanmar and forced to work as scammers to cheat people online.
"The duo also claimed that their passport and identity card had been taken away from them by the syndicate members.
"They claimed they had been beaten up when they refused to do the tasks given," said Awang.
The woman urged the police to help locate her brother and the relative and rescue them from the syndicates and bring them back to Sarawak. — The Vibes, September 25, 2023
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