Indian agencies are working with Cambodian authorities to crack down on people running illegal cyber fraud schemes in the southeast Asian nation, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said on Saturday evening.
Reports suggest that around 5,000 Indians are trapped in Cambodia after being lured into working for cyber fraud rackets duping Indian and other nationals.
Reportedly, Cambodia-based cyber scams have already caused fraudulent losses of around $60 million for gullible Indian customers.
Jaiswal said on Saturday that it had been able to rescue and repatriate about 250 Indians from Cambodia till date, including 75 in just the last three months.
“We remain committed to helping all those Indian nationals in Cambodia who seek our support,” the MEA spokesman underscored.
The MEA official noted that New Delhi had issued several advisories since 2022 to Indian citizens pursuing employment opportunities in Cambodia.
According to previous official advisories, there has been a "gradual increase" in instances of Indians falling prey to human traffickers and forced to work for criminal syndicates indulging in illegal online fraudulent schemes.