Over 6,700 Indians Rescued from Cybercrime Scam Centers in Southeast Asia: Government Report

The Indian government has reported the successful rescue of over 6,700 Indians from scam operations in Southeast Asian countries, specifically Cambodia, Myanmar, and Lao PDR.

According to Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh's statement to the Rajya Sabha, fraudulent recruitment organizations have been targeting Indian nationals primarily through social media platforms, enticing them to these Southeast Asian countries where they are forced to participate in cybercrime and other illicit activities.

Singh explained that determining the exact number of Indians trapped in these situations remains challenging since many individuals reach these scam centers voluntarily through dishonest recruitment agencies or illegal channels.

The government has consistently raised this issue at diplomatic levels with the host nations. Indian missions actively collaborate with local foreign ministries and relevant government agencies including immigration, labor departments, home affairs, defense and border authorities, and law enforcement to facilitate the rescue and repatriation of affected nationals.

The breakdown of rescued individuals includes 2,265 from Cambodia, 2,290 from Lao PDR, and 2,165 from Myanmar, though the timeline for these rescues was not specified in the data provided.

The Indian government has established multiple channels for citizens abroad to seek assistance, including in-person consultations, email communication, 24/7 multilingual emergency services, WhatsApp support, and grievance platforms such as MADAD, CPGRAMS, and eMigrate, along with social media outlets.

To address cybercrime comprehensively, the Ministry of Home Affairs has established the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C). The ministry regularly issues advisories and social media alerts about fraudulent job opportunities.

Indian diplomatic missions in Southeast Asian countries publish detailed warnings for job seekers, advising them to thoroughly verify all information about recruiting agents and companies before accepting employment offers, and to avoid being lured by fraudulent job opportunities in these regions.

In response to a separate inquiry regarding complaints from overseas Indians during 2024-25, Singh revealed that 16,127 complaints were received between January 1, 2024, and November 30, 2025. These included 11,195 submissions through the MADAD platform and 4,932 through CPGRAMS.

The MADAD (MEA in Aid of Expatriates in Distress) platform was launched in 2015 to provide consular assistance to Indians abroad, while the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) offers citizens a 24/7 online platform to submit grievances related to service delivery to public authorities.

Singh also identified the top 10 countries reporting the highest number of distress cases during 2024-2025, which included Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Oman, Kuwait, and Canada.