Vishakhapatnam: Twenty five Andhra Pradesh natives who were trafficked to Cambodia under the false promise of employment returned home, arriving at Visakhapatnam International Airport on Friday, August 16.
They are part of a larger group of 150 individuals from Andhra Pradesh and among the 5,000 Indian youth who were reportedly trafficked to Cambodia, where they were allegedly forced into cybercrimes targeting Indian citizens and residents.
The recently returned youth from Andhra Pradesh revealed that they were lured into a trafficking scheme by agents promising data entry jobs in Singapore. After paying up to Rs 1.5 lakh for a visa, they were handed over to Chinese agents in Cambodia, where they were allegedly held captive and forced to commit cyber and tele-calling crimes against telugu-speaking indians, including FedEx scams, stock market frauds, and online job frauds, resulting in the theft of hundreds of crores of rupees.
The returned youth from Andhra Pradesh disclosed that they were forced to work 12-hour shifts in Cambodia, with food withheld unless they successfully scammed victims. Those who failed were tortured through starvation until they complied, enduring inhumane conditions to carry out cybercrimes against Indian citizens.
The ministry of external affairs and cyber crime police departments are holding off on investigations into the trafficking and cybercrimes reported by the returned Andhra Pradesh youth until they have had time to recover and stabilize emotionally. This step aims to ensure thorough investigations and prevent future similar crimes.
