27 Vizag Youths Trafficked To Cambodia On Pretext Of Jobs Return Home After 'Revolting' Against Captors

The trafficked individuals were sold to Chinese operators in Cambodia, where they were tortured and forced to engage in cybercrime and ponzi schemes.

Days after 150 youth from Visakhapatnam and nearby areas were trafficked under the false promise of jobs in Southeast Asia, around 27 youngsters returned home on Friday. These trafficked individuals were sold to Chinese operators in Cambodia, where they were tortured and forced to engage in cybercrime and ponzi schemes.

According to a senior police official, Visakhapatnam Joint Commissioner of Police Fakkeerappa Kaginelli, the first group of 10 returnees arrived at the port city's airport at 5:30 PM. Another batch of 15 was expected to arrive later in the day. 

Adding that 27 out of 58 rescued persons belonged to the southern state, Kaginelli told PTI, "Two more returnees made their own arrangements to come via Singapore."  

The breakthrough came after the Visakhapatnam city police disclosed the human trafficking operation on May 18. Following this, law enforcement agencies arrested three individuals on charges of human trafficking. These individuals were allegedly responsible for luring over 150 youth from Visakhapatnam and surrounding areas with false promises of employment in Southeast Asia.

Kanginelli noted that the trafficked youth 'revolted' against their handlers in Cambodia and this led to the arrest of over 300 Indians by the local authorities in Visakhapatnam, as reported by the news agency.

The youth "revolted" at Jinbei and Compound, Sihanoukville, Cambodia, an area reportedly known as a hub for cybercrime. The act triggered several key Indian government departments, including the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), to take action for their release.

According to Kaginelli, the MEA established a control room, set up helplines and assigned special officers to navigate diplomatic channels to secure the release of the trafficked youth.

Additionally, nine more families have reached out to the city police seeking assistance to repatriate their children. Kaginelli noted that nearly 100 more trapped individuals need to be contacted, identified, and brought back to Vizag.