Bula Devi reports from New Delhi
New Delhi March 31, 2024:-Indian authorities have rescued and repatriated about 250 of its nationals from Cambodia who were “lured with employment opportunities” to that country. Of this, 75 were enticed with jobs in the last three months. The Union government “closely collaborated ” with Cambodian authorities in this operation.
“Our embassy in Cambodia has been promptly responding to complaints from Indian nationals who were lured with employment opportunities to that country,” said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Saturday in response to media queries on Indian nationals “stuck” in Cambodia.
Shockingly the Indian nationals were not just lured with employment there but “were forced to undertake illegal cyber work,” the spokesperson pointed out.
It is believed that the big scam was unearthed when a nationwide operation was launched to crack down on fraud agencies who have links to companies in China that operate in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, etc to recruit job seekers in South Asia and Southeast Asia, and entice them to work in information and technology sector with fat salary. However, once they are abroad, the agents coerce them to get into cyber crimes.
According to reports quoting authorities, on an average 5000 cyber crime complaints are lodged daily in India and half of these complaints received have their origin in China and pockets of Cambodia and Myanmar.
Several advisories have also been issued by the MEA and the Indian embassy in Cambodia to Indian nationals about such scams.
The Helpline 1930 is operational in all States and Union Territories in India, and if a victim manages to make a financial fraud complaint within an hour of it being committed, banks are able to block the money so that the money does not reach the hands of the scamster gangs.
“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 stated.
Over 3 lakh SIM cards, which are easily available in West Bengal, Assam and Odisha, have been blocked, besides several websites and mobile applications.
The innocent victims get lured by job opportunities and financial factors and once trapped, they become desperate to at least get the money due to them. They want the money to remain safe in their bank accounts so that it can reach their families, instead of gangs syphoning it off.
A mechanism is being worked out so that the blocked money reaches the rightful entity. A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been devised for which a legal vetting is being sought so that the banks can release the money, according to a news report.
