47 Indians rescued from cyber scam centres in Laos

Forty-seven Indians trapped in cyber scam centres in Laos have been rescued, the Indian embassy in the country said on Saturday.

Delhi has been cautioning Indian citizens about fake job offers in the Southeast Asian nation.

The Indian citizens were rescued from the cyber scam centres at the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in the Bokeo province, the embassy said in a statement.

While 29 of them had been handed over to the Indian mission by Laotian authorities after a crackdown on illegal activities at the special economic zone, the 18 others, in distress, had themselves sought the embassy’s assistance.

Embassy officials had liaised with local authorities to facilitate the rescue of the Indian citizens.

The group is being repatriated to India. Thirty of them have already returned and others are awaiting for their travel arrangements to get finalised.

The Indian diplomatic mission in Laos has rescued 635 citizens so far.

On the sidelines of the Association of South East Asian Nations meeting in Vientiane on July 27, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had called Laotian Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and raised concerns relating to the trafficking of Indians through the cyber scam centres.

Jaishankar had said on social media: “Appreciate the ongoing cooperation of Lao PDR government in the rescue and relief of our citizens”.

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