3 Belagavi youths detained by cyber fraudsters in Cambodia among 50 rescued

BELAGAVI: Three youths from Belagavi, and one from Jharkhand, were rescued by the authorities after they fell prey to a cyber scam, lured by promises of high-paying jobs in Hong Kong.

The youths — Akash, Suresh Hundre and Asif Alwan from Belagavi — and Amit from Jharkhand were promised data entry for jobs in Hong Kong, with a salary of Rs 1 lakh. They were lured by online scams and cyber criminals operating from abroad.

The youths travelled to Cambodia via Goa and Delhi, where they were forced to work in a scam call centre where they were threatened and coerced into committing crimes. The scammers threatened them and their families, demanding money. The families received threats, including one where the scammer told Asif’s family that if they didn’t pay, their son would be killed.

The families approached the Kakati police station in Belagavi, and the police commissioner alerted the Indian embassy in Cambodia. The embassy worked with the Cambodian police, who raided the scam centre. Fifty youths, including Indians, were rescued from the centre.

The three youths returned to India and the police have registered a case. A team has been formed to track down the accused cybercriminals. The youths’ parents thanked the police and the Indian embassy for their efforts in rescuing their children.