2 900 Indians are rescued from cyber fraud centers in Sasia, Mea tells Parl panel

Inseraj Chauhan, New -Delhi Apr 03, 2025 07:30 AM in his report presented in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, the MEA revealed that 2.907 Indians were freed from criminal activity in Cambodja, Laos, and Myanmar at least 2.900 Indian citizens, including software, Cyber ​​Scamers centers delegate the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) remained unknown, notified a parliamentary panel. In his report tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, the Mea revealed that 2,907 Indians were freed from criminal surgeries in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. (Shutterstock) In his report submitted to the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, the MEA revealed that 2,907 Indians were freed from criminal surgeries in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, where they were forced to perform cybercrimes and other fraudulent activities after being attracted by recruiting agencies. “The exact number of Indian citizens stuck in these countries is unknown because they will reach these scam centers on their own through fraudulent recruiting agencies and illegal channels,” the ministry said in its submission. The government raised the issue at “political level” with host governments and informed 3,111 unregistered agents who exploited Indians through false job offers, mainly via social media platforms, on its e-migrate portal. According to Mea data shared with the panel, 1,091 Cambodia citizens were brought back, 770 from Lao PDR, and 1.046 from Myanmar – including 549 rescued in two flights last month not included in the original report. Law enforcement agencies indicate that hundreds of Indians have been attracted by criminal gangs working in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. Panel wants stronger measures that the parliamentary committee expressed dissatisfaction with the approach of the MEA, and urged the ministry to “go much further than to lay out false agents in his efforts to protect Indians from human trafficking and cyber smooth.” The panel recommended to even educate professionals that genuine foreign employers typically require educational certificates that testify by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the MEA, and that legal companies maintain professional websites with verifiable contact details. “The Indian embassies or consulates in the destination countries should always be available for help to verify the employer by email or telephone calls,” the committee said. The panel found current fines in the Emigration Act ‘inadequate’, and the panel requested that the illegal recruitment practices with imprisonment criminalize to impede exploitation. It also recommended to draw up a national migration database to detect migrants’ movements, skills and overpayment patterns. The students’ safety committee has noted that 14 Indian students have died over the past three years due to violence or attacks abroad, and that standard industry procedures (SOPs) have asked for students outreach through Indian missions. With 1,779,097 Indian citizens studying abroad from January 2024 – which India was only in second place in international student numbers in China – the committee emphasized the admission of the MEA that it does not follow the return of students or continuous residences abroad. “The non-availability of extensive data in Indian students in a foreign country by our missions is a Lacuna,” observed the panel, and the creation of a real-time database of students abroad as “an essential component of their safety and security framework.” The ministry, although it does not have data, claimed that “Indian missions/posts abroad regularly keep in touch with Indian students entered abroad”. The committee emphasized the need for a “safety net” and policy framework that specifically protects the Indian students in conflict areas worldwide.