New Delhi: The Indian Crime Co-Ordination Centre under the Union Home Ministry has informed that Indian citizens have lost more than Rs 7000 crore to online cyber frauds in the first five months of the year, from January to May.
Most of these cyber frauds originated from Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, among others. In most cases, the masterminds are operators from China.
Most of these online frauds involved share and stock trading, digital assets, investment and online jobs. Some criminals are involved in human trafficking, too.
Most of these criminal syndicates work under the strict supervision of the Chinese operators.
Those working under them and laying traps for the frauds are themselves victims from India, Africa and Asia who are forced to work under these criminals.
Recently, investigators have arrested 59 such agents from Maharashtra, 51 from Tamil Nadu, 46 from Jammu & Kashmir, 41 from UP and 38 from Delhi.
The human trafficking part works by laying traps with lucrative job offers in Southeast Asia.
Those trapped from Bengal are sent to Vietnam and from there to Cambodia by road. Those from Jaipur are sent to the Thailand -Cambodia-Vietnam-Bangkok route.
Tamil Nadu victims are sent to Cambodia, Maharashtra victims to Thailand and Cambodia, Kerala to Vietnam and Singapore and finally from Delhi to Bangkok and Cambodia.
In Cambodia only, currently more than 5000 Indians are captive to such criminal nexuses. Indian investigative agencies are already discussing the issue with Cambodian senior officials.
