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Vientiane. At least 47 Indians held against their will in Laos were rescued by authorities on Saturday. They were being forced to dupe Indians online. Since the incident came to light, the central government has been warning citizens not to accept job offers in Laos and Cambodia, some of which are fake and aimed at turning job seekers into cyber slaves. The Indian mission has so far rescued 635 Indians from the country and ensured their safe return to India.
At least 47 Indians trapped in ‘cyber scam’ centres in Laos have been rescued from the country’s Bokeo province, the Indian embassy in the Southeast Asian country said on Saturday. Indian authorities have been alerting citizens about fake job offers in Laos and urging them to take all precautions to avoid being scammed.
The Indian mission has so far rescued 635 Indians from Laos and ensured their safe return to India. In a statement from the Indian Embassy in Laos, it said that in the new case, the embassy rescued 47 Indians trapped in cyber scam centers in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Bokeo province.
The Indian embassy statement shared on social media platform ‘X’ said, “29 of them were handed over to the embassy by Lao authorities following a crackdown on illegal activities in the Golden Triangle SEZ, while the other 18 had approached the embassy regarding being in distress.”
It said that embassy officials went from the capital Vientiane to Bokeo to contact local authorities. The statement said that India’s Ambassador to Laos Prashant Agarwal met the group upon their arrival and discussed the challenges they were facing and advised on the upcoming measures.
It said that the embassy has completed all the procedural requirements for the return of all these people to India in consultation with the Laos authorities. It also said that 30 of these people have already returned to India safely or are on their way. It said that the travel procedures of the remaining 17 other people are being completed and soon they will also return home.
The statement said that Agarwal stressed that ‘ensuring the safety and well-being’ of Indians is the top priority of the embassy. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had discussed the issue of smuggling of Indian citizens with Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone during his visit to the Southeast Asian country last month.
first published : August 31, 2024, 6:17 PM IST
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