Cambodia rounds up 3,000 suspects in human trafficking, cybercrime ring

Cambodia has arrested more than 3,000 individuals in connection with a vast cybercrime network. According to the details of the arrest, there were about 105 Indians and 81 Pakistanis. The international crackdown uncovered a vast trafficking and online fraud syndicate, with several victims being freed by authorities.

According to the report, the arrest in Cambodia prompted Indian authorities to launch an investigation, led by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), into the cross-border digital crime network.

In the documents released by ED, several fraud cases that have been tackled in the country have origins in scam centers throughout Southeast Asia, with Cambodia and Laos fingered as potential locations. These activities are always linked to the Golden Triangle, a notorious hub for illegal trafficking.

Cambodia arrests individuals linked to a cybercrime network

Investigations have revealed that numerous Indian citizens have been victims of this trafficking, with the perpetrators enticing them with the prospect of securing high-paying jobs for them abroad, especially in Singapore and Dubai. At the end of the day, most of them are trafficked to the locations where the groups carry out their digital scam.

One victim, Manish Tomar from Uttar Pradesh, alleged that he was lured by Instagram influencer Bobby Kataria with a job offer in Singapore. Tomar said he ended up in Laos, and his passport was confiscated by Chinese nationals. He added that he was then taken to the Golden Triangle, where he was forced to take part in several investment scams and impersonation frauds.

“He described a compound of 20–30 buildings guarded by armed private security, with translators to mediate between Chinese bosses and trafficked workers from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh,” the ED said in their note.

Another victim, known as Paul, said he thought he was heading to Dubai for a job interview but found himself in a “digital arrest scam” center in Poim Phet in Cambodia. “There were guards trained in Muay Thai, armed with rifles. I was trained for seven days to impersonate a CBI officer. My job was to threaten victims in India, claiming they were involved in illegal activity,” Paul said. Paul admitted to scamming a person in Maharashtra of Rs. 75,000 ($900).

In his detailed account, Paul mentioned that the scam centers operated in different units, but they were structured. “Line 1” would pretend to be from TRAI, while “Line 2” would impersonate police officers. “Line 3” acted as DCP-rank officers, offering fake help to their victims.

Paul said he worked in Line 2, impersonating a police officer on WhatsApp video calls. The uniformed individual would lip-sync while he delivered the threats in multiple Indian languages.

Furthermore, Paul said the syndicate used iPhones instead of computers to avoid IP tracking, and VOIP calls were routed through an app called Brian, with lines purchased from Thailand. He said the group specifically trained Pakistani nationals to impersonate Indian law enforcement, making it harder for Indian agencies to trace the fraud.

Meanwhile, the ED said it is investigating a fraud network worth at least Rs. 159 crore (approximately $19.5 million). While most of the funds have been moved abroad via digital assets, the agency has been able to seize Rs. 3 crore ($360,000) from several Indian bank accounts.

The ED also said it has secured the arrest of eight individuals for aiding in the creation of shell companies and laundering crime proceeds.

Indian officials say the operation is a “pig-butchering” scam model where victims are being manipulated through various social platforms to invest in several digital assets and stock markets.

Several high-profile losses have been connected to the crackdown in Cambodia. A woman reported that she was scammed out of Rs. 7.59 crore ($900,000) after investing in a bogus app. Another man lost Rs. 9.00 crore ($1.09 million), while a doctor lost Rs. 5.93 crore ($711,000).

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