Kochi: In a significant move to dismantle Cambodia-based cybercrime networks targeting Indian victims, Kerala Police are preparing to profile Malayalis who have travelled to Cambodia in recent years. Investigators said the exercise is aimed at identifying victims, recruiters and active operatives connected to international cyber fraud syndicates, rather than treating all returnees as suspects.
Cambodia Link Under Probe
The initiative follows a series of investigations in which police repeatedly found the involvement of Kerala residents in different roles within cyber fraud operations allegedly run from Cambodia. Officials said the state has seen a growing number of investment frauds, matrimonial scams and digital arrest schemes traced to criminal networks operating from the Southeast Asian country.
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According to investigators, the profiling exercise will be intelligence-driven and will rely on inputs from the Kerala State Intelligence Wing, central agencies and evidence collected during ongoing cybercrime investigations.
Victims And Recruiters To Be Identified
Police said the objective is to understand recruitment patterns, identify individuals who may have been trafficked or coerced into cyber fraud operations, and trace those who voluntarily became part of organised syndicates.
The investigation gained momentum after police arrested an alleged recruiter in March for sending young Indians to Cambodia on the pretext of overseas employment. Earlier this month, investigators also detained a Palakkad native accused of working as a team leader for a Cambodia-based cybercrime syndicate allegedly targeting Keralites through matrimonial and investment fraud schemes.
Investigators said many young people travel to Cambodia believing they have secured legitimate jobs. However, after reaching the country, their passports are allegedly confiscated and they are kept under surveillance before being forced to participate in cyber fraud operations targeting victims in India and other countries.
International Network Under Scanner
Officials said some returnees remain reluctant to approach law enforcement because criminal syndicates allegedly threaten them or use compromising material to silence them. Police believe the profiling exercise will help identify such victims and encourage cooperation with investigators.
Intelligence gathered during multiple cybercrime investigations has also pointed to a building known as “Mansion 8” in Cambodia, which investigators describe as a major operational hub for organised cyber fraud activities. Authorities are examining information related to the facility as part of broader efforts to map these international networks.
Renowned cybercrime expert and former IPS officer Prof. Triveni Singh said organised cybercrime syndicates operating from Southeast Asia increasingly rely on deceptive overseas job offers to recruit educated young Indians before coercing them into online financial frauds.
He said dismantling such networks requires close coordination between state police forces, central agencies and international law enforcement, along with timely identification and rehabilitation of victims forced into cybercrime operations.
Investigators said the profiling initiative is expected to strengthen intelligence gathering, expose recruitment channels operating within India and help authorities identify individuals who may still be trapped in cybercrime compounds abroad.
