Photos of Gandhi, Ambedkar and fake CBI signboards: ‘Digital arrest’ scam hub uncovered in Cambodia

Fake CBI offices with Gandhi, Ambedkar photos found in Cambodia ‘digital arrest’ scam centre

• Cambodia found fake Indian police in scam centers for "digital arrest" frauds.
• Nearly 200 scam hubs shut, 173 crime figures arrested, 11,000 workers deported
• Scammers used Indian flags, CBI logos, and Gandhi photos to intimidate victims

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Cambodian authorities have uncovered fake Indian law enforcement setups inside scam centres used for “digital arrest” frauds, as part of a sweeping crackdown on transnational cybercrime networks.

Photographs of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B R Ambedkar, Indian national flags, and counterfeit signboards bearing the logos of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Mumbai Police were found inside an abandoned compound in Kampot province. The site was allegedly used by scammers to impersonate Indian authorities and intimidate victims during video calls.

The discovery follows a nationwide operation in which Cambodia shut down nearly 200 suspected scam hubs. “There are about 190 locations that we have sealed off now,” Chhay Sinarith, senior minister and chair of Cambodia’s Commission for Combating Online Scams, told Reuters in Phnom Penh.

According to officials, 173 senior crime figures linked to the centres have been arrested and around 11,000 workers deported since the campaign began late last year. The crackdown intensified after the United States indicted, and China later extradited, a China-born alleged scam kingpin, marking one of the strongest international actions against such networks so far.

Reuters, which was granted rare access to one of the compounds, reported seeing large rooms lined with computer stations and printed manuals detailing how to cheat victims, including Thai nationals. The facility also contained soundproof booths for calls and a mock Indian police station designed to resemble an official interrogation setting.

A viral video shared by journalist Munsif Vengattil on X showed the fake backdrops used in the operation. “This is not a CBI facility. Nor the office of Mumbai Police. Reuters visuals from an abandoned scam center in Cambodia shows how scamsters used fake signs, Indian flag, and even pictures of Gandhi and Ambedkar to defraud Indians from abroad in ‘digital arrests’.”

This is not a CBI facility. Nor the office of Mumbai Police.

Reuters visuals from an abandoned scam center in Cambodia shows how scamsters used fake signs, Indian flag, and even pictures of Gandhi and Ambedkar to defraud Indians from abroad in "digital arrests". pic.twitter.com/xFXZpwgvE9 — Munsif Vengattil (@MunsifV) February 11, 2026

Digital arrest scams typically involve fraudsters posing as officials from agencies such as the CBI, Enforcement Directorate or local police. Victims are falsely accused of crimes and pressured to transfer money to “safe accounts” to avoid arrest.

Cambodian police said thousands of workers, some believed to be trafficking victims held in abusive conditions, fled the compounds in recent weeks. Amnesty International has described the situation as a “humanitarian crisis.”

Authorities maintain that the latest crackdown is broader and more sustained than previous efforts, signalling a tougher stance against international cyber fraud operations targeting victims across Asia and beyond.