Curated By: Rohit
News18.com
Last Updated: March 31, 2024, 07:53 IST
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
More than 5,000 Indians are allegedly being held against their will in Cambodia. (Representation Image/Shutterstock)
India has rescued and repatriated about 250 Indians from Cambodia, of which 75 in just the last three months, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday, as it assured the country’s unwavering commitment to assisting its nationals.
MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made these remarks in response to media inquiries regarding Indian nationals stranded in Cambodia. More than 5,000 Indians are allegedly being held against their will in the Southeast Asian country and being forced to carry out cyber frauds on people back home. Government estimates that the fraudsters have allegedly duped people in India of at least Rs 500 crore over the last six months
Our response to media queries regarding Indians stuck in Cambodia:https://t.co/xT8Mr78KcF pic.twitter.com/Jede90nfCO— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) March 30, 2024
Jaiswal said that the Indian Embassy in Cambodia has been actively addressing complaints from individuals who were deceived with promises of job opportunities but were coerced into illegal cyber work. Collaborating closely with Cambodian authorities, the Indian mission in the country has successfully rescued and repatriated approximately 250 Indian nationals, with 75 individuals returned home in the past three months alone.
The MEA has issued multiple advisories to Indian citizens cautioning them about such fraudulent schemes. “We remain committed to helping all those Indian nationals in Cambodia who seek our support. We are also working with Cambodian authorities and with agencies in India to crack down on those responsible for these fraudulent schemes,” MEA spokesperson Jaiswal said.
Earlier, several reports said Indian nationals in Cambodia were reportedly held captive and coerced into cyber fraud activities. Victims in Cambodia were forced to extort money by posing as law enforcement officials. The Ministry of Home Affairs convened a meeting with officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, and security experts to devise a rescue strategy. Centre aims to free the trapped Indians and combat fraudulent schemes.
In Cambodia, individuals were coerced into scamming people in India and, at times, extorting money by impersonating law enforcement officials and claiming to have discovered suspicious items in parcels. Three individuals from Bengaluru, trapped in Cambodia, have been repatriated to India. The situation surfaced following the Rourkela Police’s dismantling of a cybercrime syndicate on December 30. A total of eight individuals were arrested in Odisha for allegedly facilitating the transportation of individuals to Cambodia.
