AP Youths in Dire Straits in Cambodia

Visakhapatnam: Around 300 Indians in Cambodia, who were ‘recruited’ from here by local gangs for fraudulent activities abroad, are in dire straits in Jinbei, Compound, Sihanoukville areas.

Based on information received from Cambodia, the Visakhapatnam police have mobilized seven teams and established a control room to aid the victims of human trafficking and arrange for their repatriation. Those requiring assistance may contact CI, Cyber Crimes, at 9490617917, city police commissioner via WhatsApp at 9493336633, or reach the control room at 0891-2565454.

The city police commissioner had, on Saturday, highlighted the dire situations faced by these trafficked individuals.

Based on a victim's complaint, the city police uncovered a major human trafficking racket. Unemployed youths from Vizag city were lured by this gang with promises of data entry jobs in Singapore. Instead, they were trafficked to Cambodia via Singapore or Bangkok.

In Cambodia, they were held captive, tortured and forced into cybercrimes targeting Indian citizens. The gangs there confiscated their passports and they were barred from contacting their families. These youths were trained to carry out specific cybercrimes, including FedEx scams, stock market frauds, task game frauds etc.

The police here said the victims, numbering around 150 from Visakhapatnam and its surrounding areas, had been trafficked to Cambodia over the past year by promising them employment in Singapore.

The operation was orchestrated by a network of traffickers. The prime accused are Chukka Rajesh Vijay Kumar, Mannena Gnaneswara Rao and Sabbavarapu Kondala Rao. These agents, who facilitated the trafficking on behalf of the handlers in Cambodia, reportedly received hefty commissions, police said.

Efforts have been initiated to repatriate the victims safely back to India. The Bureau of Immigration under the ministry of external affairs and home affairs is being contacted for assistance in the matter, the police said.