CHENNAI: The Protector of Emigrants (POE), Chennai, and Tamil Nadu Police’s CB-CID wing arrested an illegal agent in Trichy who attempted to send three young men from Tamil Nadu to Cambodia where they would be forced into cyber slavery in fraudulent, scam-based companies, an official release on Friday said.
The agent was apprehended during a raid at their Tiruchy office on Friday, after the youngsters were stopped from travelling abroad, the POE statement said. The agent had lured the victims with promises of well-paying jobs in Cambodia, convincing them to pay large sums of money for job placements. To bypass legal emigration procedures, the agent told them to travel on tourist visas and lied to airport authorities about their purpose of travel.
One of them withdrew after realising the fraudulent nature of the job offer, having learned about the advisories. The other two were intercepted at Kochi airport before they could board their flight. Upon learning the true nature of the employment, they too withdrew.
Acting on this information, POE Chennai collaborated with the Tamil Nadu Police, the CBCID to execute an operation that resulted in the agent’s arrest in Tiruchy. Further investigations are underway to uncover the full extent of the agent’s illegal activities, including the number of individuals already sent, the details of the victims, and any masterminds behind this operation. Rajkumar M, Protector of Emigrants for Tamil Nadu, urged those seeking employment abroad to be cautious, particularly in Southeast Asian countries.
Agent lied to airport authorities on purpose of travel
The agent lured the victims with promises of jobs in Cambodia, asking them to pay large sums of money for job placements. To bypass legal emigration procedures, the agent told them to travel on tourist visas and lied to airport authorities about their purpose of travel.