New Delhi, Feb. 5 -- The Government of India has recognised that there has been a growing phenomenon where its citizens are lured, trafficked, or trapped in several Cyber Scam Centres across Southeast Asia, as seen in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar. This issue was brought up in the Rajya Sabha when Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale raised an unstarred question.
Minister of State in the External Affairs Ministry Kirti Vardhan Singh, on Thursday, informed the Upper House that the Indian government is aware of instances of "suspicious recruitment agencies and fake job offers, mostly through social media platforms, that have managed to lure Indian citizens into those countries." Once in the destination countries, they are allegedly "compelled to indulge in cybercrime and other types of online fraud from the various scam centres."
The fact that there is no authentic count of the total number of Indians who are stranded or trapped in this region was also highlighted by the government. There are some Indians who travel through unlawful means. However, Indian missions have over the past four years made sustained operations that have seen many Indians rescued.
As per the official figures released in Parliament, Indian missions abroad have facilitated the rescue of 1,300 Indians from Cambodia alone in 2025, after the rescue of 982 Indians in 2024, 207 in 2023, and 44 in 2022. Similarly, in the Lao PDR, the number of rescued Indians has risen to 244 in 2023, 558 in 2024, and an impressive 1,421 in 2025, after a mere 74 in 2022. In the case of Myanmar, the number of rescued Indians has also shown an impressive rise to 1,594 in 2025, after 147 in 2024, 89 in 2023, and 338 in 2022.
The government is of the opinion that the safety, security, and well-being of Indian nationals in foreign soil are the highest priority for the government. The problem of cyber-scam trafficking is a recurring issue and has been raised at the political level with the host government in the region. Indian missions and posts in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar are actively coordinating with the local government, the foreign ministry, immigration, labour, home affairs, and defence departments and law enforcement agencies with the aim of rescuing and repatriating Indian citizens.
However, the reply did not indicate the specifics of any agreements entered into with these two countries since 2024 regarding criminal liability for the recruiters and the scam camp operators, and the compensation for the victims.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.