Days after the Visakhapatnam police exposed a human trafficking operation originating in Cambodia, a group of 60 Indian youths arrived in Delhi. Following a rebellion by approximately 300 Indians against their handlers in Cambodia, significant riots erupted in Jinbei Compound, Sihanoukville, Cambodia, a known hub for cybercrime fraud activities. Many individuals among them urged Indian authorities to investigate their situation and facilitate their safe return to India.
Subsequent to these developments, numerous individuals contacted the Vizag City police via WhatsApp and shared videos. Vizag police commissioner Ravi Shankar Ayyanar oversaw the repatriation of about 15 youths from Vizag and neighboring areas with the assistance of the Indian Embassy. Approximately 115 individuals from Andhra Pradesh had fallen victim to the clutches of traffickers in Cambodia. Ayyanar revealed that the handlers subjected the Indian youths to various forms of torture, including confinement in dark rooms and occasional beatings with a baseball bat due to perceived underperformance.
The handlers in Cambodia provided only one meal per day to the trafficked Indian youths, and at times, they forced them to go hungry for days as a form of punishment for 'underperformance' in cyber fraud activities. Preliminary discussions with the repatriated individuals indicated that each of them had paid around Rs.1.5 lakh to a local agent for a purported data entry job before traveling to Cambodia.
Once there, they were coerced into participating in cyber scams targeting victims in India, such as the Fed X scam and stock market frauds. They were given performance targets and faced consequences like food deprivation for consecutive days if they failed to meet expectations. Those who excelled occasionally received a daily meal and were even allowed to attend parties. Ayyanar disclosed that individuals who performed poorly were subjected to punishments like confinement in dark rooms and beatings with a baseball bat.
The traffickers in Cambodia trained the Indian youth to execute specialized cybercrimes against Indian citizens, including FedEx scams, stock market scams, and various other fraudulent activities. Recently, the Vizag police apprehended local agents Chukka Rajesh Vijay Kumar, Mannena Gnaneswara Rao, and Sabbavarapu Kondala Rao, who had recruited local youths for trafficking to Cambodia. These agents provided the identities of the youths who were sent to Cambodia.
For nearly a year, traffickers from Vizag and its environs coerced approximately 115 youths into committing cybercrimes under duress. The Indian embassy in Cambodia informed that the initial group of 60 Indian nationals rescued from exploitative employers had safely returned home, expressing gratitude to the Cambodian authorities for their co-operation.