Unverified SOS Claims 1000 Human Trafficking Victims Held in New Myanmar Scam Compound "Koe Ma Nee"
An appeal circulating in Chinese-language channels claims more than 400 Indians and 1,000 Chinese nationals are held at a scam compound called Koe Ma Nee near Myawaddy, Myanmar, at reported coordinates 17.139675, 98.263031. It alleges 18-hour workdays, electric shocks, sexual harassment, a Rs 10 lakh exit fee and at least seven Indian deaths. None of these claims have been independently verified.
An emergency appeal circulating in Chinese-language channels since August 2026 alleges serious abuse at a scam compound called Koe Ma Nee (科马尼), in the Myawaddy area of Myanmar's Karen State near the Moei River on the Thai border.
A separate alert describes a "Koe Maa Nee Sector" where large numbers of Indians are still trapped.
Neither set of claims has been independently verified.
Location
The alert gives GPS coordinates of 17.139675, 98.263031, about 55 km north-west of Myawaddy town near the Moei River.
The site does not appear on public maps of scam compounds.
What the Google Maps Imagery Shows
Google Maps marks the site with a place label reading "Koe mar nee".
The imagery shows a large tract of recently cleared and graded land, enclosed by bush and forest.
Graded dirt roads run along its northern and western edges and meet at a junction.
Inside the cleared area are tyre tracks, patches of disturbed or scorched earth, and evenly spaced rows of small dark marks.
These could be foundation pits, post holes or newly placed fixtures.
No finished buildings are visible.
The pattern is consistent with a site being prepared for construction, and Myawaddy-area compounds have often grown out of land prepared this way.
The imagery's date is not known, so it cannot confirm whether a compound is now operating there.
What the Appeal Alleges
- More than 400 Indians, over 1,000 Chinese nationals, and others from Cambodia and Laos are held at the site.
- Workers are forced to work about 18 hours a day, and women report sexual harassment.
- The compound is run by a boss known as "Li Boss" through threats, intimidation and violence.
- Victims must pay about Rs 10 lakh to be allowed to leave.
- Phones are allowed only between 14:00 and 15:30 each day and confiscated afterwards.
- People who tried to escape were beaten by guards and had their escape money taken.
- Abuses include unpaid wages, confinement, inadequate food and electric shocks.
- At least seven Indians are said to have died from electrocution and other abuse. The appeal itself says this needs further verification.
A Familiar Pattern
The allegations match documented conditions along the Moei.
More than a dozen compounds line a 40 km stretch of the river, and survivors have described electrocution and beatings.
KK Park, a 210-hectare complex south of Myawaddy, was raided in October 2025: more than 2,000 people were detained, Starlink terminals were seized, and over 1,000 fled into Thailand.
In Shwe Kokko, north of the town, operations reportedly resumed within about two months of the November 2025 crackdown.
Crackdowns in known hubs have repeatedly pushed operators to new and more remote sites.
Intelligence Note
The compound's exact location and the appeal's figures need verification by Indian and Thai authorities.
Anyone with information on Indians held in the Myawaddy area can contact the Embassy of India in Yangon at [email protected] (consular section) or [email protected] (Ambassador's office).