Cyber Captives: India Intensifies Efforts To Rescue Over 5,000 Nationals Forced Into Cyber-Slavery In Cambodia

Over 5,000 Indian nationals are reported to be held captive in Cambodia, coerced into committing cyber frauds targeting individuals in India.

Authorities estimate the scam has cheated victims out of around Rs 500 crore over the past six months.

The Central government, spearheaded by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) which is actively collaborating with various ministries and departments, including the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), is working to formulate a rescue strategy for the Indians trapped in Cambodia.

“The agenda of their meeting was to discuss the organised racket and bring back those who are trapped there. Data shows that Rs 500 crore has been lost (to cyber fraud originating in Cambodia) in India in the last six months,” a source was quoted as saying in an Indian Express report.

The investigation by Central agencies has so far revealed that agents were trapping people, mostly those from the southern part of the country, and sending them to Cambodia on the pretext of data entry jobs before forcing them to carry out cyber frauds.

This large-scale operation came into focus after the Rourkela Police in Odisha exposed a cyber-crime network on 30 December, leading to multiple arrests.

Victims were reportedly made to impersonate law enforcement officials or create fake social media profiles to scam people in India.

Efforts to repatriate the victims have seen some success, with a few individuals already rescued and returned to India.

These efforts were highlighted by the rescue of three Karnataka residents, facilitated by the Non-Resident Indian Forum of Karnataka in coordination with the MEA and the Indian embassy in Cambodia.

The scam's operations were intricate, involving the creation of fake social media accounts and the execution of investment scams, including fraudulent cryptocurrency trading and fake stock investments.

The Rourkela Police have identified three key high-level operatives of Indian origin and one high-level operative who is of Nepalese origin and is planning to take the help of Interpol to arrest key players in this scam.

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