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67 Indians trafficked to cyber scam centres rescued from Laos

EAM S Jaishankar held meetings with his counterparts from Laos, Cambodia and Thailand on the issue of trafficking of Indian citizens through cyber scam centres and sought their early return.

LaosEAM S Jaishankar (PTI)

Sixty-seven Indians who were trafficked and forced to work in cyber-scam centres in Laos have been rescued by the Embassy of India in Vientiane, facing abuse by criminal syndicates operating in Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ) in Bokeo province, the Indian mission said Monday.

“The Embassy of India has successfully rescued 67 Indian youth who had been duped and trafficked into cyber-scam centres operating at the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ) in Bokeo Province of Lao PDR,” it said.

Acting on their requests for help, the Embassy dispatched a team of officials to GTSEZ, coordinating with Lao authorities to secure their release. Following necessary procedures and paperwork, the rescued individuals were transported from Bokeo to Vientiane, where the Embassy provided accommodation, food, and other essential support.

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Ambassador of India to Laos, Prashant Agrawal, met with the rescued youth to discuss their experiences, assure them of their safety and guide them, including filing complaints against the agents responsible for their trafficking. He reaffirmed the Embassy’s commitment to ensuring their safe return to India as a top priority, the release said.

“Embassy officials are currently working closely with concerned Lao authorities for completion of their exit formalities, following which all of them would be able to travel back to India shortly,” it said. The Embassy has so far rescued 924 Indians, of which 857 have already been safely returned to India.

On the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting in Vientiane in July 2024, EAM S Jaishankar held meetings with his counterparts from Laos, Cambodia and Thailand on the issue of trafficking of Indian citizens through cyber scam centres and sought their early return.

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