Two young hotel workers from Mumbai were allegedly lured abroad with promises of better-paying chef jobs, only to have their passports confiscated in Laos and be forced to work for an online fraud operation.
Sahar Police have registered an FIR after 22-year-old Rohit Semwal accused hotel-management student Rishabh Sonkar of cheating him and colleague Kishor Singh Bisht of ₹5.55 lakh.
The money was allegedly collected for overseas placement, visas, flight tickets and related expenses.
Police say Sonkar has not been arrested and the investigation is continuing.
FCRF’s Chief AI Officer Certification Returns on November 14 to Prepare Future AI Leaders
Five-Star Hotel Job Promise Led to Laos
According to the FIR, Semwal and Bisht met Sonkar while working at a five-star hotel in Andheri.
Sonkar was undergoing hotel-management training at the property, while his father worked there in food and beverage services.
Semwal told police that Sonkar claimed to have a friend earning a good salary in Thailand and offered to arrange similar hotel jobs for them.
The two men were allegedly promised chef positions at five-star hotels with better salaries than they were earning in India.
Between December 23, 2024 and May 17, 2025, Sonkar allegedly collected a total of ₹5.55 lakh from them.
Semwal first transferred ₹16,000 as an entry fee.
Police say he has submitted bank statements, transaction records and Google Pay screenshots as part of the complaint.
Istanbul Offer Changed to Thailand and Then Laos
Semwal alleged that he was initially given an offer letter purportedly from Swissotel The Bosphorus in Istanbul.
The destination later changed.
Sonkar allegedly told the two men that jobs would instead be arranged in Thailand and booked Thai Lion Air tickets from Mumbai to Bangkok for March 25, 2025.
After landing in Bangkok, Semwal received another set of tickets through WhatsApp directing them to Vientiane, the capital of Laos.
They then travelled onwards to Bokeo.
According to police, an agent met them there and took them to a Chinese company for what they believed would be a job interview.
The situation changed once they arrived.
Passports Allegedly Confiscated at Cyber Fraud Centre
Semwal told police that the company retained their passports.
Instead of kitchen jobs, the two men were allegedly forced to participate in online scams and other illegal activities.
Police described the workplace as a call-centre operation allegedly run by Chinese fraudsters.
Without their passports, the men said they could not freely leave.
They remained trapped in the operation for about three months before eventually managing to reach the Indian Embassy in Vientiane.
After sustained efforts, they were sent back to India.
The allegations resemble a growing pattern known as cyber slavery.
People are recruited with legitimate-looking overseas job offers and then moved to scam compounds where their travel documents are seized.
They may then be forced to run investment scams, romance scams or impersonation fraud under threats, confinement or financial pressure.
Victims Say Recruiter Threatened Them After Return
After reaching India, Semwal and Bisht allegedly demanded that Sonkar return their money.
Semwal claims Sonkar instead threatened them and refused to repay the amount.
That led to the complaint with Sahar Police.
The FIR now forms the basis of the investigation.
Police are also trying to establish whether other people were recruited through the same network and sent abroad under similar circumstances.
Sonkar has not been arrested.
No court has yet determined whether the allegations in the FIR are true.
Investigators will need to examine the money trail, travel documents, communications, offer letters and any links between the accused and people operating the facility in Laos.
India Has Seen Similar Cyber-Slavery Cases
This is not an isolated pattern.
Indian police have investigated several cases involving job seekers sent to Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand before being forced into cyber-fraud operations.
In another case reported earlier, an Ahmedabad man was promised an IT job in Bangkok but was taken across the border into Myanmar and held at a scam compound.
His family allegedly had to pay ₹3.5 lakh before he was allowed to leave.
Police in Maharashtra have also investigated networks accused of sending job seekers to Cambodian scam centres.
These cases often begin with a familiar promise: a hotel, IT, customer-service or data-entry job offering a much higher salary overseas.
Victims may receive professional-looking offer letters, visas and flight tickets.
The deception may therefore continue until they arrive in a different country or remote location.
Overseas Job Verification Becomes Critical
The Mumbai case shows why foreign job offers need verification before travel.
Workers should confirm whether a recruiter is authorised, whether the employer exists at the stated address and whether the job location matches the visa and flight itinerary.
A sudden change of country after travel has begun should be treated as a major warning sign.
Job seekers should also share their itinerary, employer details and recruiter information with family before leaving India.
If a passport is confiscated abroad or a person is being forced to perform illegal work, contacting the nearest Indian embassy or consulate becomes critical.
What this means for you:
Do not rely solely on an offer letter, WhatsApp messages or flight tickets when accepting an overseas job. Verify the recruiter and employer independently, and treat any last-minute change of country or job role as a serious red flag.
Follow for daily updates on cybercrime, corporate fraud, DFIR, hacking, investigations, and digital forensics
