2,900 Indians rescued from cyber scam centres in SE Asia, MEA tells Parl panel

MEA SAID INDIAN NATIONALS WERE RESCUED FROM CAMBODIA, LAOS, AND MYANMAR

- Neeraj Chauhan

NEW DELHI: At least 2,900 Indian citizens, including software engineers, have been rescued from cyber scam centres operating across southeast Asia, but the exact number still trapped remains unknown, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) informed a parliamentary panel.

In its report tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, the MEA revealed that 2,907 Indians have been freed from criminal operations in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar where they were forced to conduct cybercrimes and other fraudulent activities after being lured by fraud job recruitment agencies.

"The exact number of Indian nationals stuck in these countries is not known as they reach these scam centres on their own volition through fraudulent recruitment agencies and illegal channels," the ministry stated in its submission.

The government has raised the issue at the political level with host countries to address the problem of Indian nationals being lured into these scams.

770 were brought back from Cambodia, 770 from Lao PDR, and 1,046 from Myanmar—including 549 rescued in two flights last month that were not included in the original report.

Law enforcement agencies indicate hundreds more Indians have been lured by criminal gangs operating in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand.

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