14 Indians rescued from ’Cyber-Slavery’ in Cambodia wait to return home

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, July 20, 2024: 14 Indians, who were fraudulently taken to Cambodia and forced into cyber fraud by trafficking rackets, have appealed to the Indian embassy to facilitate their quick return to India.

The 14 men - mostly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar - were rescued by the local police in Cambodia and are currently staying at an NGO.

Recent reports have shed light on a dangerous job scam that affected many, including over 5,000 Indians stranded in Cambodia, forced to carry out illegal cyber activities. The government earlier this year said that about 250 Indians have been "rescued and repatriated."

These people were promised legitimate jobs. However, they were then manipulated into participating in unlawful online tasks, according to India’s foreign ministry.

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 police became aware of this massive scam late last year when a senior central government employee claimed he was defrauded of over ₹ 67 lakh and filed a complaint. Odisha’s Rourkela Police busted a cyber-crime syndicate on December 30 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 Indian embassy noted that these fake jobs are for posts like ’Digital Sales and Marketing Executives’ or ’Customer Support Service’ by dubious companies involved in call-centre scams and crypto-currency fraud.

Courtesy: NDTV