In June last year, Kalpampenchala Sai Mukesh, 30, an MBA graduate from Andhra University in Visakhapatnam, landed in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, with a dream of making earning big money and make his family proud. His father, Ramesh Kalpampenchala, a former employee of Vizag Steel Plant, a PSU under Union Ministry of Steel, had a brain stroke in 2019, leaving the family without their main source of income.
On June 27, he joined Globex at a salary of $700 (approximately ₹59,000) per month, along with additional perks. The company is located behind a legally-run casino in Krong Kampot, a city on the Preaek Tuek Chhu river in southern Cambodia, known for its pepper plantations and salt fields. He was overjoyed to explore the city and its beauty.
“I was mesmerised by the beauty of Cambodia. I even thought of taking my parents on a pleasure trip once I settled there. But, alas!” says Mukesh, whose joy was short-lived.
He was trained for a week, and instructed to create fake profiles on various social media platforms. During the first few days, he realised that he was supposed to ‘attract’ gullible people and dupe them. What he also understood was that his job was illegal. He had been told earlier that it was a data entry operator job in Cambodia, by his Indian agent, Ch. Rajesh, 35, from Andhra Pradesh.
Mukesh was shattered and wanted to escape his workplace as well as the country as soon as possible. “I decided to quit. I gave a verbal notice to my immediate superior who told me to be ready with at least $4,500 to quit the job. My salary was $700 per month. So, I lost hope,” he adds.
However, his plans to flee Cambodia caught the attention of his superiors at the workplace. He was not allowed to leave his small room provided by his employer, who kept him under close watch.
“This was not just my situation here. Job-seekers like me from various parts of India and elsewhere in the world, who had dreamt of earning more, were facing the same trouble. I was even beaten up by the company staff,” says Mukesh over a WhatsApp call from Cambodia, adding that he used the medicines a few days before he safely reached the Indian Embassy in that country. He added that the torture left the feet injured, and he used the medicines he’d carried to treat himself. “I kept my mind strong and waited for that right opportunity,” a teary-eyed Mukesh said.
After a year of the harrowing experience in Cambodia, he is arriving at his place (Gajuwaka in Visakhapatnam) in India on June 14. “I am reaching my home in Visakhapatnam on June 14 before noon. I will inform the police and meet them,” Mukesh says.
Police estimate that more than 5,000 Indians are being held captive in Cambodia, in the coastal Sihanoukville, the hub of cyber fraud companies. This was according to the complaints lodged by Indians, who were trafficked to that country. Over 400 trafficked people had managed to come back to India, including 30 from Andhra Pradesh. And 90 more from Andhra Pradesh are yet to return, police said.
Police action
In another case of fraud, the Visakhapatnam City Commissionerate of Police (VCCP) was approached by 35-year-old Visakhapatnam resident, S. Mahesh (name changed to protect identity), on May 5 this year.
“Based on the complaint and cooperation of the complainant, we were able to crack this case. He was cheated by an Indian agent who promised him a job in Cambodia. He managed to escape his workplace within a few months, and reached India safely. After reaching home, he registered an online complaint against the job fraud and its operators with the Indian government’s National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB),” said VCCP Cyber Crime Circle Inspector Bhavani Prasad.
An FIR was filed soon after under the Human Trafficking and IT Acts of the Indian Penal Code (Human trafficking, illegal detention for 10 days or more, detention after abduction and threats to kill or harm, or criminal breach of trust, fraud and extortion by criminal conspiracy.)
The Visakhapatnam police formed seven teams to nab the culprits. The teams were sent to airports, passport offices, and job agencies, to check the passport data of people who went abroad from India for jobs.
So far, police have arrested 12 people, including Chukka Rajesh Vijay Kumar, Mannena Gnaneswara Rao, and Sabbavarapu Kondala Rao, all between the age of 30-35 years. These job agents reportedly received commissions between ₹1.2 lakh and ₹1.5 lakh, to facilitate the entry of Indians to Cambodia, say the police.
The job fraud victims were paid only when they reached their target of scamming people in India, failing which, they were punished, police added. They were forced to work on Facebook, sending ‘friend’ requests to people on behalf of their employers.
To give an impression that the phone numbers were from India, the Cambodian companies illegally bought Indian SIM cards from Indian agents for as much as ₹4,000 to ₹5,000 each. They even bought fake bank accounts, and social media IDs to commit the fraud, say the police.
If the ‘employees’ did not adhere to the working conditions and nature of work, the managers would harass them. Punishments included pay cuts, sexual harassment of women employees, or criminal cases for ‘using drugs and stealing company’s property’. They were also deprived of food and water.
Following these arrests, 30 people were rescued. B. Nagaraju, one of the victims, said, “The employers threatened us with court cases if we did not work. Our job was to cheat people, especially Indians. The working conditions were terrible. We were given drugs to work without sleep.”
Police say that agents generally lure unemployed people, mainly the youth, from various places in India, including Visakhapatnam, by promising them data entry jobs in Singapore, Malaysia, and other South East Asian countries. They are then taken from Kolkata in West Bengal to Cambodia via Singapore or Bangkok, where airport connectivity is easy.
After reaching Cambodia, survivors are captured, tortured, and coerced into committing cybercrimes, say the police. The Indians are then trained to carry out specific cybercrimes like FedEx scams, stock market frauds, and Ponzi schemes.
After arresting the agents, police put out alert messages and helpline numbers (9490617917, 9493336633 or 0891-2565454 for the control room), to warn people of the fraudulent operators.
“We started receiving calls from people stranded in Cambodia and their parents and friends here, describing their horrific experiences,” Joint Commissioner Fakeerappa Kaginelli said.
Youth trap
Trafficked Indians were locked in rooms — 10 in one room with an attached bathroom — and sometimes beaten with baseball bats if they did not obey orders. They could not escape as the employers would take their phones, passports, and wallets.
“Though the number of women is small compared to men, some fell prey to Cambodian agents who worked for Chinese companies. Single women, widows, and those in need, were targeted by middlemen. So, before applying for a job anywhere in the world, it is important to verify details. Even if there is an iota of doubt regarding visas, visit the nearest police station for help,” said Inspector Prasad.
The Bureau of Immigration, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, is being approached by the Andhra Pradesh police for assistance to trafficked Indians. The Indian Embassy is also working with Cambodian authorities to ensure the safe and speedy repatriation of the rescued, as per an official advisory of the Ministry of External Affairs.
A temporary helpline number (+855 10642777) has been set up by the Embassy in Sihanoukville, where Indian nationals are stuck and seeking return.
Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy has issued an advisory warning citizens seeking jobs in Cambodia or any other country, of fraudulent practices. People are warned against falling prey to unauthorised agents and ‘easy’ visas for jobs. People are also advised to be wary of jobs given on tourist visas.
Published - June 14, 2024 08:26 am IST
