Roughly 5,000 Indian nationals are allegedly being detained in Cambodia and coerced into conducting online scams targeting Indians in their home country. The extensive magnitude of the fraud, with estimated proceeds totaling a staggering ₹500 crore over the past six months, has spurred collaborative efforts between the two nations to dismantle the operation.
“We have seen the media reports on Indian nationals stuck in Cambodia. Our Embassy in Cambodia has been promptly responding to complaints from Indian nationals who were lured with employment opportunities to that country but were forced to undertake illegal cyber work,” the Ministry of External Affairs said, adding that around 250 Indians have been “rescued and repatriated” so far.
As per media accounts, individuals held in Cambodia were compelled to engage in scam activities targeting people in India. They reportedly posed as law enforcement officials, contacting potential victims and claiming that suspicious items were discovered in packages sent by them, thereby extorting money from them.
The police first became aware of this extensive scam late last year after a senior central government employee reported being defrauded of more than ₹67 lakh and lodged a complaint. On December 30, the Rourkela Police in Odisha dismantled a cyber-crime syndicate and apprehended eight individuals purportedly linked to the operation of relocating people to Cambodia.
“We arrested eight persons from different parts of the country and have prima facie evidence against multiple people involved in the scam. We issued Look Out Circulars against 16, following which the Bureau of Immigration detained two men – Harish Kurapati and Naga Venkata Sowjanya Kurapati – at the Hyderabad airport after they landed from Cambodia,” an officer said, the Indian Express reported.
The Modus Operandi
Stephen, one of the individuals rescued from Cambodia, holds an ITI degree. He revealed to The Indian Express that when the coronavirus pandemic hit, he pursued some computer courses. He went on to elaborate on the modus operandi of the racket.
“An agent in Mangaluru offered me a data entry job in Cambodia. There were three of us, including one Babu Rao from Andhra Pradesh. At the immigration, the agent said we were going on a tourist visa, which made me suspicious,” he told Express.
According to Stephen, they were escorted to an office in Cambodia where they underwent interviews. He mentioned that only two out of the three managed to pass the interview. Stephen noted that the boss was Chinese, with a Malaysian aiding in translation for them.
“They tested our typing speed among other things,” he said. “It was only later that we found out that our job was to look for profiles on Facebook and identify people who can be scammed. The team was Chinese, but a Malaysian translated the instructions to English,” he added.
A Day In The Lives Of Cyber Slaves
Compelled to impersonate women using fabricated social media profiles and fake photos, the men were assigned daily quotas, facing repercussions for failing to meet them. This was the daily routine for recruits in a country where they were enticed with the “promise” of better job prospects.
Stephen, as cited in The Indian Express report, stated that the “cyber slaves” endured periods without food or rest if they failed to meet their daily targets.
“We had to create fake social media profiles with pictures of women sourced from different platforms. We were told to be careful while picking the photos,” he said.
“A “South Indian woman” would trap someone in the north to avoid raising any suspicion. We had targets and if we didn’t meet them, we would not get food or be allowed to go to our rooms. Finally, after a month and a half, I contacted my family and with the help of some local politicians, they managed to speak to the Embassy,” he said.
How Were The Indians Scammed
Rourkela police official Upasana Padhi informed The Indian Express that the accused lured the men, or potential scammers, to Cambodia under the pretense of offering employment opportunities.
Upon arrival, the men were coerced into joining companies involved in fraudulent activities, she noted. These companies confiscated their passports, rendering them unable to leave, and compelled them to work 12-hour shifts each day.
“If anyone refused to do what is asked of him, he would be tortured by way of physical assaults, electric shocks, solitary confinement, etc. Many Indians not willing to engage in such scams are trapped there. We are trying to identify, contact, and bring them back through proper channels,” Ms Padhi said.
The scammers would pose as women on dating apps and chat with the potential targets. “After some time, they would convince the target to invest in cryptocurrency trading. Many were duped in India this way,” she said.
According to the Rourkela Police, the agents got the men to join another company that focused on investment scams in October 2023. “This company lured people to invest in fake stocks. They also created a fake online app,” the officer said.
Ms. Padhi stated that the police have amassed critical details, such as the whereabouts of the fraudulent companies, their agents, methods of operation, and organizational structure.
Additionally, they have pinpointed three senior operatives of Indian descent and one senior operative from Nepal. “We intend to arrest key players in this scam with the help of Interpol,” she added.