Over 5,000 Indian nationals have been discovered to be held against their will in Cambodia, where they are being forced into participating in online scams targeting people in India. These scams have amassed a staggering Rs 500 crore over the last six months. India and Cambodia are now working together to tackle this problem.
As per an Indian Express report, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the reports and mentioned that the Indian Embassy in Cambodia is actively dealing with complaints from Indian citizens who were promised jobs but ended up being forced into illegal cyber activities. About 250 people have been rescued and sent back to India.
Reports suggest that those trapped in Cambodia were coerced into scamming Indians by pretending to be law enforcement officers. They would contact victims and falsely claim that suspicious items were found in packages sent by them, then demand money.
The scam came to light when a senior government employee reported losing over Rs 67 lakh. The Rourkela Police in Odisha arrested eight people linked to this cyber-crime syndicate.
Stephen, one of the rescued victims, explained how he was tricked into going to Cambodia with the promise of a job but was forced to create fake social media profiles to scam people in India. They had strict daily targets and faced punishments if they failed to meet them. "An agent in Mangaluru offered me a data entry job in Cambodia. There were three of us, including one Babu Rao from Andhra Pradesh. At the immigration, the agent said we were going on a tourist visa, which made me suspicious," he told Indian Express.
These victims, called "cyber slaves," endured harsh conditions, including being denied food and rest if they didn't meet targets. Some were forced to pose as women on dating apps to carry out fraudulent schemes like cryptocurrency trading scams.
"They tested our typing speed among other things.It was only later that we found out that our job was to look for profiles on Facebook and identify people who can be scammed. The team was Chinese, but a Malaysian translated the instructions to English," he added.
The Rourkela Police revealed that the perpetrators used violent tactics like physical assaults and isolation to ensure compliance. Many Indians found themselves trapped in Cambodia against their will. Efforts are being made to identify and bring them back home safely.
