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RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-1346
ANSWERED ON- 11/12/2025

REPATRIATION OF CITIZENS FALLEN VICTIM TO CYBER SLAVERY

1346. # SHRI NEERAJ DANGI

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state :-

(a) whether Government has any data regarding the number of Indian citizens who have fallen victim to cyber slavery, so far, and the details of such victims who have been brought back to the country, State-wise;

(b) whether Government has held high-level talks with the Governments of the concerned countries in such cases so that action could be taken against the culprits and the safety of Indians citizens could be ensured and if so, the details thereof; and

(c) whether Government has put in place any international cooperation or monitoring mechanism to curb such fraudulent agencies?

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a to c) It has come to the notice of the Government instances of dubious firms involved in fake recruitment job offers having lured Indian nationals mostly through social media channels to South-East Asian countries including Cambodia, Myanmar, Lao PDR and made them to carry out cyber crime and other fraudulent activities from scam centres operating in these countries. The exact number of Indian nationals stuck in these countries is not known as Indian nationals reach these scam centres on their own volition through fraudulent/unscrupulous recruitment agents/agencies and through illegal channels.

Government accords utmost priority to the safety, security and well-being of Indian nationals abroad. Government of India has raised this issue at political level with the host Government from time to time. Missions/Posts take up the issue of rescue and repatriation of Indian nationals actively with the local Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other concerned Government agencies of the host country like Immigration, Labour Department, Home Affairs, Defence and Border Affairs and law enforcement agencies. With the concerted efforts of our Embassies in the Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar, the number of Indian nationals including software engineers rescued till date is mentioned in the table below:

The Government has established various channels to enable Indian nationals abroad to reach out to the Mission/Post concerned in case they need any assistance. They can contact the Missions/Posts through walk-in interview, email, multilingual 24x7 emergency numbers, WhatsApp numbers, grievance redressal portals like MADAD, CPGRAMS, and eMigrate, and social media etc. The Ministry of Home Affairs has set up the ‘Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre’ (I4C) as an attached office to deal with all types of Cyber crime in a coordinated and comprehensive manner.

Ministry issues advisories and social media posts about the fake job rackets from time to time. Similar communications are also issued by the respective Indian Missions/Posts abroad through their official websites, social media handles and print media. Our Missions in South-East Asian countries issued various detailed advisories, upon receiving such information on Indian nationals being lured by fake job rackets in South-East countries, to job seekers, and advise them to verify all antecedents of recruiting agents and companies before accepting any kind of employment offer and not be enticed and entrapped in the fraudulent job offers in these countries.

Ministry, in coordination with the Indian Missions/Posts abroad and offices of Protectors of Emigrants in India, takes quick and decisive action whenever instances of exploitation of job seekers by illegal agents come to notice. A list of 3,505 unregistered agents (till October 2025) has been notified on e-Migrate portal. This information is regularly updated based on the complaints filed by the aggrieved individuals and based on the inputs received from our Missions/Posts abroad. The complaint against the illegal agents and the dubious firms luring Indian youth in false recruitment offers through various channels are regularly shared with the respective State Governments and other agencies such as I4C, MHA for suitable action. To spread awareness on cyber crime, the Central Government has taken steps which inter-alia include, dissemination of relevant information through SMS, I4C social media account, radio campaigns, engaged MyGov for publicity in multiple channels, organizing cyber safety and security awareness weeks in association with States/UTs, newspaper advertisement on digital arrest scams, announcements in Delhi Metros on digital arrest, and other modus operandi of cyber crimes.

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