Police have rescued three youths from Belagavi who were held captive in Cambodia and forced to take part in cybercrime. Three people from Belagavi, who allegedly ran a fake job racket, have been arrested in connection with the case.
The rescued youths — Akash Kaganikar, Omkar Lokhande and Sanskar Lokhande — were brought back home safely a couple of days ago after being trapped abroad for nearly a month. Police said the youths were lured by promises of high-paying data-entry jobs in Hong Kong, with a monthly salary of ₹1 lakh. The offer was made through a local agent based in Belagavi.
However, after leaving India, the youths were taken to Cambodia instead. There, they were allegedly forced to carry out online frauds targeting people in India using platforms such as WhatsApp and Instagram. When they refused, they were beaten and threatened, police said.
Worried about their children’s safety, the parents approached the Belagavi CEN police and filed a complaint around two weeks ago. Acting quickly, Belagavi city police commissioner Bhushan Borase contacted the Ministry of External Affairs and alerted the Indian Embassy in Cambodia.
Following this, Cambodian authorities raided the premises and uncovered a large cybercrime network where about 50 youths from India and other countries were being forced into illegal activities. “All three youths were brought back safely to India a couple of days ago,” Borase said.
Further investigation revealed that the fake job racket was operated by three individuals from Belagavi. Police said the continuous efforts of inspector J. M. Kalimirchi and his team played a key role in rescuing the victims. After the rescue, a special police team tracked down the accused, who were absconding, and arrested all three.