Jakarta. The police have already identified the fake recruiters who sent 20 unsuspecting Indonesian job seekers to Myanmar to work as cyber scammers.  

“We have identified [the recruiters],” Djuhandhani Rahardjo Puro, a director at the police’s criminal investigation unit, told reporters on Thursday.

According to Djuhandhani, the investigation into the fake recruiters is still underway. The police will also continue to work on this human trafficking case together with the immigration office, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and Indonesia’s diplomatic missions. 

Djuhandhani also told the press that the 20 Indonesians in question are suspected to have gained entry to Myanmar by illegal means. 

“The records of the 20 Indonesians are not on Myanmar’s immigration traffic, so we suspect they entered Myanmar illegally,” he said.

The victims are now trapped in Myawaddy in Myanmar’s Kayin State which has witnessed clashes between Myanmar military and Karen rebels, according to Djuhandhani. The Myanmar authorities also cannot enter Myawaddy as rebels have taken over the region.

“That is why the Myanmar government still cannot follow up on the complaints sent by the Indonesian Embassy in Yangon,” Djuhandhani said.

Also in response to human trafficking, the Foreign Ministry has coordinated with the Regional Support Office of the Bali Process in Bangkok, The International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the International Justice Mission (IJM). 

Early this week, the family members of the Indonesian human trafficking victims filed a police report against fake recruiters “P” and “A”. 

According to the Indonesian Migrant Worker Union (SBMI), “P” and “A” are both Indonesians who live in Bekasi. The scammers promised the victims high-paying jobs in Thailand, but they were duped into traveling to Myanmar to carry out cyber scams on crypto websites or apps.

The perpetrators are also not letting the victims go home and have forced them to pay 70,000 Yuan or around $10,127.