What promised to be a life-changing career leap with monthly salaries of ₹1.25 lakh in tech hubs like Singapore has turned into a harrowing nightmare for dozens of unemployed graduates across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Trafficked under the guise of lucrative IT, digital marketing, and customer support positions, these job seekers are instead transported across borders into heavily guarded cyber scam compounds operating in Southeast Asian nations like Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos.
Upon arrival, their passports are confiscated, and they are forced under extreme physical duress to execute international financial fraud, crypto scams, and phishing attacks targeting victims back in India and worldwide.
The modus operandi relies heavily on a network of local sub-agents operating in cities such as Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, and Hyderabad.
These recruiters target vulnerable job seekers via Telegram, Facebook, and Instagram, collecting upfront placement fees ranging from ₹1.2 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh.
While candidates are issued offer letters for reputable destinations, they are flown on tourist visas to transit locations like Bangkok before being illegally shuttled across remote borders into lawless special economic zones.
Inside these compounds, those who fail to meet strict scam quotas face physical abuse, isolation, electric shocks, and extortion demands directed at their families back home.
Recent joint operations involving state Crime Investigation Departments, the Ministry of External Affairs, and international law enforcement agencies have successfully rescued hundreds of trapped Indian nationals, bringing them back home.
Authorities continuously issue advisories urging job seekers to exercise extreme caution. Law enforcement officials strongly advise candidates to verify all foreign job offers through the Ministry of External Affairs’ eMigrate portal, avoid traveling on tourist visas for employment purposes, and report suspicious recruitment agents immediately to prevent further youth from falling into cyber captivity.
