Thrashed For Refusing To Defraud, Passports Destroyed: 3 From Punjab, Haryana To Return From Cambodia Today

After a harrowing time in Cambodia, three Indians from Punjab and Haryana — Binder Sodhi, Raman, and Ashwani Kumar — will reach India on Friday.

According to a senior official involved in their rescue, these individuals had gone to Cambodia for work, but were trapped at a cybercrime fraud centre. “Raman, Binder and Ashwani had travelled together to Cambodia after being recruited by an Indian agent for data entry and computer-related work. On reaching the capital Phnom Penh nearly two months ago, they were confined to cramped quarters with others. Shortly after their arrival, Binder was asked to lure Indians into various cyber fraud, including stock market scam. Raman and Ashwani were also compelled to participate in illicit activities in separate compounds,” he said.

Local perpetrators, along with a few Indians, forced them to engage in fraudulent activities targeting Indians to extort money from them. As they realised the illegality of their actions a few days later, the trio refused to work. “When they expressed their unwillingness to continue, they were physically assaulted by compound workers. They were informed that significant money had been paid to bring them to Cambodia and that they had no choice, but to comply. Their passports were destroyed in July,” the official said.

“After escaping the compound, Ashwani, Raman and Binder relied on assistance from others for food,” officials were informed. “They later sought help from an NGO with base in Cambodia and headquarters in the USA. The NGO alerted the Indian Embassy, leading to the issuance of Emergency Certificates by the Indian Embassy in Cambodia on July 19. Subsequently, their visas were extended, and they boarded a flight to Delhi.”

Sources revealed that Cambodian police recently apprehended three other Indian nationals involved in a human trafficking ring following a complaint filed by Indian authorities regarding the exploitation of Indians in Cambodia.

According to the data of Indian authorities, frauds emerging from Asian countries such as Cambodia and Laos, etc. are growing. The I4C and state law enforcement agencies had to freeze debits from 3.25 lakh mule accounts in the past four months, while more than 3,000 URLs and 595 apps were blocked under Section 69A of the IT Act. Indian agencies have also suspended 5.3 lakh SIM cards and 80,848 IMEI numbers since July 2023, as per the data given by I4C.