An inside view of the Laos cybercrime hub

Victims trafficked into Laos recall how their dream became a nightmare after landing in Laos. Their passports were snatched upon arrival, and they were forced to work 15-hour shifts in inhumane conditions where refusal to commit cybercrime was met with starvation, lashing and detention

In February this year, 31-year-old Suresh Singh*, a resident of Telangana who was on the lookout for employment abroad, stumbled upon a sales job in Laos. He found Ali International Services, run by one Kamran Haider, which promised him a job that offered a decent salary, food and accommodation. But a week later, he realised that he was cheated and trafficked to the Golden Triangle’s Special Economic Zone in Laos, where he was forced to commit cybercrime against Indians even as his Chinese bosses abused and threatened him.

“They offered me ₹60,000 because I knew Tamil and Telugu. I paid ₹1.60 lakh to the agent, who arranged my ticket,” Mr. Singh said. Along with two others from Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, he traveled to Thailand via Kolkata, secured SIM cards, and crossed the border into Laos by bus and boat.

A bad dream

Mr. Singh said he felt like he was living his dream until he was taken to the Golden Triangle, a Special Economic Zone, which, he said, had “big buildings, fancy cars, massage parlours, jewellery shops, and business areas, people with iPhones but no signboards.” Inside a building, he had to give English grammar, spelling, reading, and typing tests. When he asked why these were necessary for a sales job, he was silenced. Soon, he realised that the dream was nothing but a nightmare.

Several people from India, Pakistan and Myanmar were seated on desks, with multiple mobile phones and desktops, “and committing cybercrime”, Mr. Singh recalled. He said the agent who took him to the Golden Triangle “sold him off” to Chinese agents for ₹2 lakh. They took away his passport and the ₹35,000 cash he had.

On December 7, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested Mr. Haider in connection with trafficking of victims like Mr. Singh to Laos. Officials said the agent had arranged flight tickets, documents, and illegal border crossings with contacts in the Golden Triangle, forcing victims into scams targeting Europeans and Americans. He also extorted money through cryptocurrency wallets from victims who wanted to return home.

Mr. Singh, who comes from a family of farmers, returned to India in April with the help of the Indian Embassy. Till date, he has not told his family that he was cheated.

The vice den

The Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Laos’ Bokeo province is known for its Chinese-owned casinos and hotels. It is also a hub of illegal activity. In August, according to media in Laos, 489 men and 282 women of 15 nationalities were arrested for their involvement in a cyber scam network near Myanmar and Thailand. Indian Embassy officials reported a sharp increase in jobseekers cheated by unregistered agents through fake offers. These agents charged between₹2 lakh to ₹5 lakh to provide jobs.

This growing trend was highlighted by the Interpol in June, when it said that tens of thousands had been trafficked in Southeast Asia, while many more were defrauded in different parts of the world. In August, a UN Human Rights Office report took up the issue and found that the fraud ranged from romance-investment scams and crypto to illegal gambling. The employees in these centres are told to carry out phishing, sextortion, credit card fraud, and scams related to jobs, social media, cryptocurrency and investment.

Trafficked and tortured

In December last year, the Interpol arrested 281 persons from different countries for human trafficking, passport forgery, corruption, telecommunications fraud, and sexual exploitation.

The UN report cited above said that victims endured a range of violations and abuses -- they were threatened with their safety and security, and many were subjected to torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, arbitrary detention, sexual violence, forced labour, and other human rights abuses.

The report said that at least 1.2 lakh people across Myanmar were held in situations where they were forced to carry out online scams, with estimates in Cambodia around 1 lakh. The report identified countries such as Laos, the Philippines and Thailand as destinations where people have been involved in running cybercrime syndicates generating annual revenues amounting to billions of dollars.

Interpol said that over the past year in Myanmar, authorities had reported the rescue of trafficking victims who came from 22 countries. NIA chargesheets, filed in these cases, said that on refusing to commit cybercrime in the Golden Triangle region, the trafficked youths were starved, lashed and locked in rooms. “Some youths were even given electric shocks if they failed to meet their target of befriending prospective victims on social media,” it added.

Thane’s Siddharth Yadav, a 24-year-old hotel management graduate, recalled how he had been desperate for a job outside India that would provide better pay and opportunities. In December 2021, while scouting for jobs in the hospitality industry, he met an agent who advised him to “switch to IT” if he wished to work abroad.

“He said he could get me a job in Laos. I knew it was near Thailand. I was told that I will work for cryptocurrency, and I only have to pay ₹50,000 to the agent. The company will provide me with a ticket, lodging and food. I felt so assured and said yes,” he said over the phone.

Within a week, his documents were processed, and he received tickets from Mumbai to Bangkok and then to Thailand in January 2022. A van took him to the Golden Triangle. “Everything looked suspicious. The SEZ seemed too developed, I was told to enter a company office, and the people were extremely rude to me and the other Indians I came with,” Mr. Yadav said.

Upon entering a floor, no one greeted them, and they were told to create three fake IDs instantly on Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram using photos provided by their employer. The Chinese bosses explained the scam, with a translator conveying details in Hindi. “Then, I understood what was happening,” Mr. Yadav said.

“They confiscated our passports and told us that we would be moved to different companies monthly, based on our skills and job performance,” he added.

Poor working conditions

Mr. Yadav worked for two-and-a-half months in inhumane conditions. He said that although a scamster could earn anywhere between ₹2 lakh to ₹4 lakh a month, there were no rights. “Using the toilet for over five minutes cost ₹1,400, being a minute late meant a $100 fine, and smoking incurred a ₹25,000 penalty. We worked 15-hour days, faced penalties for arguing, and had to sleep with our doors open so that agents could check. We weren’t allowed to stay in our rooms,” he said.

The rooms, Mr. Yadav said, were small, with no windows. Some rooms had an AC, some did not even have a bed or a fan. The compound in which he lived was divided into different portions — for food, lodging and gym.

But Mr. Yadav, who returned home in March 2022, never told his family the shame and stress he was going through in Laos. “It was difficult as I left everything and came to a country where I did not have my passport with me. I would sit and count every day till I was rescued after I contacted the Indian Embassy,” he said.

(*name changed)

Published - December 14, 2024 11:07 pm IST