Jul 20, 2024 10:00 PM IST
The Indian embassy said it was in communication with Cambodian officials to expedite the completion of formalities so that the victims can return to India.
The Indian embassy in Cambodia said on Saturday it was working to expedite completion of formalities to ensure ‘safe and timely’ return of 14 Indians, who were scammed into working as ‘cyber slaves’ in Cambodia, to their country.
“In close cooperation with Cambodian authorities, the Embassy has facilitated the rescue and repatriation of over 650 Indian citizens who had fallen victim to these scams,” it stated in a press release.
“Most recently, we provided specific leads to the police, leading to the rescue of 14 additional Indian victims. They are currently being cared for by an NGO working in coordination with Cambodia’s Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation,” the statement added.
“We continue to closely monitor the situation and remain committed to protecting the welfare of Indian citizens in Cambodia. We advise them to exercise extreme caution regarding any job offers in the country and to immediately report any suspicious activity to us,” the embassy noted.
According to NDTV, most of the 14 men are from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
The massive scam was discovered when a central government employee in India filed an FIR on December 31 last year after being defrauded of more than ₹67 lakh. Subsequently, the scam came to light and eight people were arrested for allegedly moving Indians to Cambodia.
As per the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi, the Indian nationals taken to Cambodia, and others stranded there, were promised ‘legitimate’ jobs, but were manipulated into participating in ‘unlawful’ online tasks.
The victims used to have their passports taken away and forced to work in ‘cyber scamming’ call centres to target people in India, the MEA said.