The Punjab Police’s Cyber Crime Division Wednesday arrested two Mohali travel agents for indulging in trafficking of people from Punjab to Cambodia and other South East Asian countries, and forcing them into cyber crimes. Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said that those arrested have been identified as Amarjeet Singh, who is the owner of Visa Palace Immigration in Mohali, and his accomplice Gurjodh Singh. The accused travel agents were sending innocent people from Punjab to Cambodia promising them lucrative data entry jobs. On arrival at Siam Reap in Cambodia, their passports were taken away from them and then they were forced/tortured to work in cyber scamming call centres to target Indian people to commit cyber financial frauds. 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. The DGP said preliminary investigation revealed that the accused persons have fraudulently sent many people 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. ADGP (Cyber Crime Division) V Neeraja said that police teams from State Cyber Crime, led by Inspector Deepak Bhatia, conducted a raid at the office of Visa Palace immigration and arrested both the accused persons. She said that the accused have revealed that they were doing 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. The ADGP exhorted citizens to 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. It is also advised that the background of the prospective employer is checked thoroughly, especially when work is offered in the name of ‘data entry operator’ job and not to undertake any illegal cyber activities and reach out to Indian embassy, she added. Meanwhile, the 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 the Ministry of External Affairs.
