47 Indian Victims Freed from Forced Labor in Laos, Were Forced Running Dating Scams

Today, officials rescued 47 Indians who were being held captive in Laos and forced to run online scams targeting people in India. The Indian government has been warning people about fake job offers in Laos and Cambodia that lead to such exploitative situations. To date, the Indian mission has saved 635 people from the region and safely brought them back to India.

In a recent operation, the Indian Embassy rescued 47 Indians who were trapped in cyber scam centers located in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Bokeo province, according to a statement from the embassy.

According to a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), 29 of the rescued individuals were handed over to the Embassy by Laos authorities following their crackdown on illegal activities in the Golden Triangle SEZ. The remaining 18 sought help directly from the Embassy after reaching out in distress.

The scammers pretended to be women on dating apps, engaging with potential victims. "Over time, they would persuade their targets to invest in cryptocurrency trading, leading many people in India to be deceived," said one of the rescued Indians.

The "cyber slaves" were deprived of food and rest if they failed to meet their daily targets. Last month, the Indian embassy in Laos rescued 13 Indians who had been lured into cyber scam centers and successfully returned them to India.

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