India Repatriates Citizens Duped Into Forced Cyber Fraud Labor in Cambodia

India's embassy in Cambodia is working with officials there to rescue and return Indian citizens who were duped by job offers in Cambodia that led to their being forced to work in online fraudulent operations.

Some 250 Indian citizens reportedly have been returned to India, according to a Reuters report. Indian news outlets reported that more than 5,000 Indian citizens are being held against their will in Cambodia after moving there for employment. According to BBC, the victims, mostly young, were forced into money laundering, cryptocurrency fraud, and love scams.

"We are also working with Cambodian authorities and with agencies in India to crack down on those responsible for these fraudulent schemes," India's Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told Reuters, adding that the Indian government has released advisories warning about these employment schemes in Cambodia.