Cyber frauds: Collaborating closely with Cambodia to rescue citizens
NEW DELHI: India has rescued and repatriated nearly 250 Indians, out of which 75 were rescued in the past three months. Several advisories have been issued by the Indian Embassy and Ministry to Indians who have been lured under the pretext of jobs and have ended up working forcibly for cyber frauds.
“Our embassy in Cambodia has been promptly responding to complaints from Indian nationals who were lured with employment opportunities to that country but were forced to undertake illegal cyber work. We are collaborating closely with Cambodian authorities. They have rescued and repatriated about 250 Indians out of which 75 were during the last three months,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesman, Randhir Jaiswal.
India has stated it’s committed to helping all Indian nationals in Cambodia who are seeking support. “We are also working with Cambodian authorities and agencies in India to crack down on those responsible for these fraudulent schemes,” said Jaiswal.
There are reportedly 5,000 Indians trapped in cyber slavery in Cambodia, allegedly being forced into cyber fraud activities targeting people in India.
The government suspects that during the past six months these fraudsters defrauded Indians of at least 500 crore.
Recently, the MHA convened a meeting with officials from MEA, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity), Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (14C) besides other security experts.
The experts mulled over ways to chart out a rescue strategy for Indians who are victims of Human Trafficking in Cambodia. Victims are allegedly forced to conduct cyber frauds targeting Indians impersonating as law enforcement officers to extort money. Some people from Bengaluru have been freed and brought back to India.
This issue came to light after the Rourkela Police in Odisha unearthed a cyber crime scam in December last year, which led to the arrests of some agents involved in trafficking Indians to Cambodia.