Key Points
Thousands from around the world are lured to these complexes on the pretext of a data entry job, only to then have their passports snatched and be forced into a round-the-clock multi-billion dollar scam industry as cyber slaves.. Stephen Monthero (22) from Koppa in Karnatakas Chikkamagaluru was one such victim..
In a statement Saturday, the MEA said, Our Embassy in Cambodia has been promptly responding to complaints from Indian nationals who were lured with employment opportunities to that country but were forced to undertake illegal cyber work..
It added that 250 Indians have been rescued and repatriated so far, 75 in the last three months alone.. But the rescue operation like the one that resulted in the return of Monthero appears to have exposed just the tip of an iceberg underneath which is a thriving multi-billion dollar nexus involving human trafficking and forced labour...
Monthero narrated a detailed account of how the multi billion-dollar cyber scam industry operates a script to follow, actors on set complete with green screens and AI geniuses, besides punishment rooms for those who refused to take part in the scam...
Monthero and the two others from Karnataka were rescued only after their families raised the issue with the state government which, in turn, approached the MEA and an Indian embassy official landed up at the complex in Cambodia along with local police officers...
