Cambodia cyberfraud: Karnataka youths lured by Rs 1L/month Hong Kong job, forced into crime; 3 arrested

BELAGAVI: Police have rescued three Belagavi youths who were held captive in Cambodia and forced into cybercrime. Three accused who allegedly ran a fake job racket from Belagavi, which had trapped the youths, have been arrested.The victims - Akash Kaganikar, Omkar Lokhande and Sanskar Lokhande - were brought back to their native place a couple of days ago after being held for nearly a month. Police said the youths were lured with offers of lucrative data-entry jobs in Hong Kong, promising a monthly salary of Rs 1 lakh, through a local agent based in Belagavi. However, after leaving India, they were diverted to Cambodia.Once there, the youths were allegedly coerced into carrying out cyberfrauds targeting Indian citizens via WhatsApp and Instagram.

When they resisted, they were subjected to physical assault and threats.

The victims' parents lodged a complaint about two weeks ago. Acting on this, Belagavi city police commissioner Bhushan Borase contacted the ministry of external affairs and alerted the Indian embassy in Cambodia.Subsequently, Cambodian authorities raided and uncovered a large cybercrime network in which around 50 youths from India and other countries were being forced into illegal activities. The fake job racket was run by three individuals based in Belagavi. Police said efforts by inspector JM Kalimirchi and his team were key to rescuing the victims. A special team then tracked down and arrested all three accused.