Pakistani link emerges in harrowing job scam that ensnared hundreds of Indians

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A Pakistani link has emerged during the high-level investigation by central agencies into the Cambodia-based job scam in 2024 in which hundreds of Indians were trafficked and exploited through fake employment offers.

Several victims who were lured during the scam informed officials that they were recruited by Pakistani agents, The Indian Express has reported quoting sources.

The scam had originally surfaced in 2024 after authorities estimated that over 5,000 Indians were trapped in Cambodia, having been lured abroad with promises of high-paying jobs. Many were later forced into cybercrime operations. Several victims have since been rescued and brought back to India.

The Indian embassy even issued multiple advisories to alert Indians seeking jobs in Cambodia cautioning them not to fall prey to unauthorised agents.

According to officials, forensic analysis of recruitment-related chats and calls revealed digital footprints linked to Pakistan, including IP logs tied to handlers operating from there, the report said.

A source added that the probe exposed a coordinated network that preyed on vulnerable job-seekers from places like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Mumbai, Telangana and Kerala.

The issue was also discussed during the two-day Anti-Terrorism Conference-2025, held in December, the source told Indian Express..

“This is not just a cyber-fraud racket — it’s a targeted operation exploiting our youth,” the source said. The CBI and the NIA have widened their probe into the matter.

Following the identification of Pakistan-linked IP addresses, central agencies have added them to a ‘suspect registry’, officials said. The registry, developed by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) using data from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, includes details of 1.4 million cyber criminals involved in financial fraud and other cyber offences. The database has been shared with banks.

Data shows that the registry has helped freeze 5,54,865 bank accounts that received fraudulent funds, identify 15,10,800 unique accounts, and prevent losses worth Rs 7,980 crore by blocking nearly 20 lakh suspicious transactions.

An official told the newspaper that most cyber scams targeting Indians are run by Chinese operators from fortified compounds in Southeast Asia, where victims of human trafficking — including Indians — are forced to work.

Data compiled by the I4C shows that Indians have lost over Rs 52,976 crore to fraud and cheating cases in the past six years, the report said.

An official said that many were lured via social media and messaging apps with promises of high-paying jobs in casinos and call centres, only to face forced labour, physical abuse and organ trafficking threats.

Disturbing details of physical torture and abuse against Indians had emerged after the scam was uncovered in 2024.