New Delhi: Officials on Saturday successfully rescued at least 47 Indians who had been forcibly held in Laos and forced into running online scams targeting people back in India. The government has been warning citizens about accepting job offers from Laos and Cambodia, as some are fraudulent and designed to exploit workers.
To date, the Indian mission has rescued 635 Indians from Laos and helped their return to India. In the recent operation, the embassy intervened to free 47 individuals confined in cyber scam centers within the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Bokeo province, according to a statement from the Indian Embassy in Laos. “Of these, 29 were handed over to the Embassy by Laos authorities after their crackdown on illegal activities in Golden Triangle SEZ, while other 18 had approached the Embassy in distress, seeking help,” the statement, which was posted on X said.
Laos trafficking trap
Last month, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar addressed the issue of trafficking of Indian nationals with Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone during his visit to the Southeast Asian country. Indians are enticed by job offers in Laos, where fraudsters then confiscate their passports, trapping them in the country. These individuals are forced to create fake social media profiles with false photos, assume female identities, and meet daily targets, facing punishment if they fall short. This is how the recruits would spend their days in a country they went to with the “promise” of a better life.
The scammers would impersonate women on dating apps to engage with potential victims. “Eventually, they would persuade the target to invest in cryptocurrency trading. Many people in India fell for these schemes,” one of the rescued Indians reported. Those trapped as “cyber slaves” face deprivation of food and rest if they fail to meet their daily targets. Last month, the Indian embassy in Laos rescued 13 Indians who had been lured into various cyber-scam centers and facilitated their return to India.