As a disturbing trend, 14 Indians seeking help from the Indian embassy to repatriate them from Cambodia. Such people were deceitfully spirited to the country and compelled to indulge in computer fraud by those involved in human trafficking.
Most of the men who became victims were lured by the fake employment offers from UP and Bihar with the fake promise of legitimate work but were forced to engage in unlawful activities online once they entered Siem Reap, Cambodia. Their passports were taken from them, and they were forced into working in ‘cyber scamming’ call centres with specific instructions to con Indian people.
Such a state of affairs is part of a vast problem that has unfolded over the fate of more than 5,000 Indians trapped in Cambodia and engaged in criminal cyber experiences. The Indian government has claimed that so far this year, about 250 Indians have been ‘rescued’ or ‘repatriated. ’
The police in Cambodia learned of this big con last December when a superior central government employee complained that he had been swindled of over ₹ 67 lakh. In December this year, the Odisha Police in Rourkela arrested eight people, including members of the cyber-crime syndicate involved in the Cambodia job scam.
Subsequently, the Indian Embassy in Phnom Penh has issued a notice advising Indian nationals to work for Cambodian companies only through agents licensed by the MEA.
The advisory primarily targets companies offering ‘Digital Sales and Marketing’ or ‘Customer Support Service’ positions associated with call centre scams and cryptocurrency frauds.
While 14 men from India are still in a shocking situation of waiting for repatriation, the event exposes the existing job scams and human trafficking that continue to capture the lives of many people. Therefore, it is the Indian government that has continued to play an essential role in aspects of the evacuation and repatriation of its citizens.
