Vientiane: At least 47 Indians trapped in cyber scam rings in Laos have been rescued from the country’s Bokeo province, the Indian embassy in the Southeast Asian country said on Saturday.
Indian authorities have been warning their citizens against fake job offers in Laos and have urged them to conduct thorough due diligence to avoid being duped. So far, the Indian mission has rescued 635 Indians from the country and ensured their safe return to India.
In the latest case, the embassy rescued 47 Indians trapped in cyber scam centres in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Bokeo province, according to a statement from the Indian Embassy in Laos.
“Of them, 29 were handed over to the Embassy by the Lao authorities following their crackdown on illegal activities in the Golden Triangle EEZ, while 18 others had approached the Embassy in distress, seeking help,” the statement, which was published on X, said.
He said embassy officials travelled from the capital, Vientiane, to Bokeo to communicate with local authorities for his rescue.
The statement added that Prashant Agrawal, the Indian Ambassador to Laos, met the group upon their arrival to discuss the challenges they faced and recommend the course of action to be taken.
The embassy has taken over and completed all the procedural requirements from the Lao authorities for their repatriation to India, the statement said, adding that 30 of them have already returned safely to India or are on their way, while the remaining 17 are just waiting for travel arrangements to be finalised and will leave the country soon.
Agrawal stressed that “ensuring the safety and well-being” of Indians was a matter of top priority for the Embassy, the statement said.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar last month discussed the issue of trafficking of Indian nationals with Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone during his visit to the Southeast Asian nation.
The Indian embassy in Laos last month rescued 13 Indians who had been lured into certain cyber scam hubs in the country and sent them back home.
In a statement on Saturday, the Indian Embassy urged the Lao government to take action on its part against unscrupulous elements.
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