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Punjab Police's relentless pursuit of justice hit a high note on Wednesday with the arrest of two travel agents accused of trafficking innocent Punjab residents into a nightmarish world of cyber slavery in Cambodia and other South East Asian countries. The arrests, executed by the state’s Cyber Crime Division, exposed a chilling scheme where promises of lucrative data entry jobs abroad turned into a cruel trap.
Amarjeet Singh, the mastermind behind Visa Palace Immigration in Mohali, and his accomplice Gurjodh Singh, lured victims with false hopes, only to strip them of their passports upon arrival in Siam Reap. These individuals were then coerced into running cyber scams targeting fellow Indians, under threats and dire conditions akin to modern-day slavery.
“This is not just a crime against individuals but an assault on human dignity,” said the state Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav.
DGP Yadav said that following the statement of the victim, who has managed to escape from Cambodia after getting in contact with the Indian Embassy in Cambodia, the State Cyber Crime Police Station had registered a first information report (FIR) and started investigations in this case.
A case had been registered under sections 370, 406, 420 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 24 of the Immigration Act at Police Station State Cyber Crime.
He said that preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused persons have fraudulently sent many persons to Cambodia and other South-East Asian countries, where they are forcibly made to work at centres engaged in Cyber Scamming Indians. The details of the persons, who are into cyber slavery are being obtained and contacts are being established with them and their families, he added.
Assistant Director General of Police (ADGP), Cyber Crime Division, V Neeraja, leading the charge against human traffickers, warned citizens against falling prey to deceitful promises of overseas jobs, especially in Southeast Asia. “Verify employers rigorously; don't risk becoming a victim,” she urged.
“Be aware of such fraudulent immigration activities and do not fall prey to fake promises of travel agents offering lucrative job opportunities abroad, especially in South-East Asian Countries. DO conduct a thorough background check of the prospective employer, especially when work is offered in the name of ‘Data entry operator’ job and to not undertake any illegal cyber activities and reach out to Indian Embassy,” she added.
ADGP Neeraja said that Police teams from State Cyber Crime, led by Inspector Deepak Bhatia, conducted raid at the office of Visa Palace immigration and arrested both the accused persons.
“The accused have further revealed that they were doing the illegal activities in connivance with other agents belonging to different states. Further investigation is being conducted to identify other such travel agents and their accomplices to nab them,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of External Affairs has also set up an Overseas Workers Resource Centre (OWRC) as a single-window facilitation centre, to provide the required support services to persons desirous of going abroad for employment purposes. The OWRC, at present, is operating a 24x7 helpline (1800113090) to provide need-based information to emigrants and their families through a toll free number.
If any other person from state of Punjab has fallen victim in this alleged scam, the person may call State Cyber Crime Division, Punjab helpline no. 0172-2226258 for further facilitation through Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi.
