Fourteen Indian nationals who were trapped in ‘cyber slavery’ in Cambodia and rescued by the local police have appealed to the Indian Embassy in Phnom Penh to facilitate their quick return, according to a report.
14 men, most of whom are from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, have been rescued by the local police and are currently staying at an non-governmental organization (NGO) in Cambodia, NDTV said in the report.
The report said that they have appealed to the Indian government to arrange their return from Cambodia.
These people were promised legitimate jobs. However, they were then manipulated into participating in unlawful online tasks, the report said citing Indian foreign ministry.
It is important to note that in recent months, hundreds of Indians, who were lured to Cambodia with the prospects of genuine and lucrative jobs but were coerced to undertake financial scams, cyber-frauds and other illegal activities against their will, have been rescued in the country. It is believed that thousands of Indians are trapped there.
The government earlier this year said that about 250 Indians have been “rescued and repatriated.”
The fraud modus operandi
According to the report the Indian nationals are lured by fake promises of genuine, lucrative jobs opportunities in Cambodia, but, once they arrived in the country, they fall into trap of human traffickers their passports are confiscated and they are forced to work for cybercriminal networks.
On arrival at Siem Reap in Cambodia, their passports used to be taken away from them and then they were forced to work in “cyber scamming” call centres to target Indian people.
The Indian Express has reported that the government’s estimate says that around 5,000 Indians are similarly trapped in Cambodia.
The report further said some Indians have been part of the syndicate. Last year, the Odisha Police arrested eight people for being part of the syndicate.
This massive scam came in light late last year when a senior central government employee claimed that he was defrauded of over ₹ 67 lakh and filed a complaint. Odisha’s Rourkela Police busted a cyber-crime syndicate and arrested eight people allegedly involved in moving people to Cambodia.
Earlier this year, the Indian Embassy also issued an advisory for those travelling to Cambodia for jobs. It asked Indian nationals to secure employment only through authorized agents approved by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The Embassy also advised that the background of the prospective employer in Cambodia is checked thoroughly.
