At least 47 Indians trapped in cyber scam centres in Laos have been rescued from the country’s Bokeo province, the Indian embassy in the Southeast Asian country said on Saturday. Indian authorities have been alerting citizens against fake job offers in Laos and urging them to take all precautions to avoid getting duped.
The Indian mission has so far rescued 635 Indians from Laos and ensured their safe return to India. In the new case, the embassy rescued 47 Indians trapped in cyber scam centres in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Bokeo province, a statement from the Indian Embassy in Laos said.
The Indian embassy statement shared on social media platform ‘X’ said, “29 of them were handed over to the embassy by Lao authorities following a crackdown on illegal activities in the Golden Triangle SEZ, while the other 18 had contacted the embassy about being in distress.”
It said embassy officials had travelled from the capital Vientiane to Bokeo to liaise with local authorities. The statement said India’s ambassador to Laos Prashant Agarwal met the group upon their arrival and discussed the challenges they were facing and advised on the next steps.
It said that the embassy has completed all the procedural requirements for the return of all these people to India in consultation with the Laos authorities. It also said that 30 of these people have already returned to India safely or are on their way. It said that the travel procedures of the remaining 17 others are being completed and they will also return home soon.
Aggarwal emphasised that “ensuring the safety and well-being” of Indians is the top priority of the embassy, the statement said. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had discussed the issue of smuggling of Indian nationals with Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandoane during his visit to the Southeast Asian country last month.
The Indian Embassy in Laos had rescued and sent back 13 Indians last month. In a statement issued on Saturday, the Indian Embassy urged the Lao government to take action against anti-social elements involved in operating cyber scam centers.
