Over 6,700 Indians rescued from fake job rackets in Southeast Asia: Centre

These figures stood at 2,265 in Cambodia, 2,290 in Lao PDR and 2,165 in Myanmar.

The Centre on Thursday informed Parliament that it has rescued more than 6,700 Indian nationals trapped in cyber-fraud and fake job rackets operating across Southeast Asia, after being lured through deceptive recruitment schemes circulating on social media.

 

In a written response in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said the government has taken “serious note” of cases in which fraudulent firms enticed Indians — including software engineers and young job seekers — to countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar and Lao PDR, only to force them to work in scam centres engaged in cybercrime and financial fraud.

 

Fake job offers, cybercrime hubs

 

According to Singh, these individuals typically reached scam centres “on their own volition” through unscrupulous recruitment agents, online advertisements and illegal travel routes, making it difficult for authorities to determine the total number of Indians still stranded.

 

The scams, operating out of remote locations in Southeast Asia, have expanded rapidly over the past two years, often targeting unemployed youth through Telegram channels, WhatsApp groups and social media job posts.

 

Government’s diplomatic interventions

 

The minister said India has repeatedly raised the issue at the political level with the governments of the affected countries. Indian embassies in Cambodia, Myanmar and Lao PDR have been actively coordinating with local ministries — including foreign affairs, immigration, home affairs and law enforcement — to enable rescue and repatriation.

 

As per the data shared, the number of Indians rescued so far includes:

 

• 2,265 from Cambodia
• 2,290 from Lao PDR
• 2,165 from Myanmar

 

The time span for these rescue operations was not specified.

 

Multiple helplines and platforms for distressed Indians

 

Singh said the government has established several ways for Indians abroad to seek help, including:

 

• Walk-ins at Missions/Posts
• Email and multilingual emergency helplines
• WhatsApp hotlines
• MADAD grievance platform
• CPGRAMS
• eMigrate portal

 

Social media channels

 

The MADAD platform, launched in 2015, provides support for diaspora in distress, while CPGRAMS enables citizens to file grievances 24x7 with government departments.

 

Government cracks down on cyber-fraud rackets

 

To strengthen domestic monitoring, the Ministry of Home Affairs has set up the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) to combat cybercrime in a coordinated manner. The government and Indian Missions frequently issue advisories warning job seekers about fake overseas job offers.

 

"Our Missions in South-East Asian countries issued various detailed advisories, upon receiving such information on Indian nationals being lured by fake job rackets in South-East countries, to job seekers, and advise them to verify all antecedents of recruiting agents and companies before accepting any kind of employment offer and not be enticed and entrapped in the fraudulent job offers in these countries," Singh said.

   

Over 16,000 complaints from Indians abroad in 2024–25

 

Responding to a separate query, the minister revealed that from January 1, 2024 to November 30, 2025, the government received 16,127 complaints from Indians abroad:

 

• 11,195 via MADAD
• 4,932 via CPGRAMS

 

The top countries reporting the highest number of distress cases included Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the US, Oman, Kuwait and Canada.

 

With fake job rackets continuing to expand their digital reach, the Centre has urged Indian workers and job seekers to exercise caution, verify employment offers thoroughly, and avoid unregulated recruitment channels.