BANGKOK, December 16. /TASS/. Three Russians were abducted in Myanmar, presumably for forced labor in fraudulent call centers, the Russian embassy in Myanmar told a TASS correspondent.

When asked if there are other Russian citizens in Myanmar who have fallen victim to fraudsters and ended up in call centers, an employee of the Russian consular section said: "Currently, we are working on three similar appeals from relatives and acquaintances of Russian citizens. In all cases, the relevant notes have been sent to Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry. To quickly locate and assist Russian citizens, the embassy is in contact with local authorities."

Ivan Melnikov, vice president of the Unified Coordination Center for the Support of Compatriots Abroad (UCC), previously told TASS that unknown individuals had abducted a Russian model in Myanmar. According to him, the woman first flew to Thailand, from where she was immediately sent to Yangon for an alleged interview. There, her passport and other documents were forcibly taken from her. She was then taken to a fraudulent call center where she is being forced to work against her will.

Melnikov said that the kidnappers demanded about $10,000 for the woman's release. She and approximately 200 others are being held against their will at the call center. Those who refuse to work are beaten, tortured with electric shockers, and threatened with violence. He noted that he had appealed to Russian Foreign Ministry’s Third Asian Department head Lyudmila Vorobyova with a request to assist in returning the kidnapped Russian woman to her home country.

According to TASS estimates, a total of six Russians have been freed from fraudulent call centers in Myanmar this year. Three were sent to Russia as part of a repatriation procedure with the help of Thai authorities and the Russian embassy in Bangkok. Two others left Myanmar on their own but were detained by Thai servicemen for illegally crossing the border. They were then deported. Another Russian woman was repatriated through China. Russian ambassador to Myanmar Iskander Azizov previously told TASS that several dozen Russians may be in fraudulent call centers in Myanmar, having been taken there by human traffickers from Thailand. He noted that, since Russian citizens enter Myanmar illegally, it is difficult to determine their exact number.