Solving Crime | Trapped in Cambodia by a cyber fraud gang, how the Karnataka Police’s fake threat helped save a BCom graduate | Bangalore News

Journey to Cambodia

Ashok, 28, a BCom graduate from Balehonnur in Chikkamagaluru district, was desperately searching for employment in March 2023. Then an opportunity came, and it seemed perfect: a Data Entry Operator (DTO) position in Cambodia offering a lucrative monthly salary of Rs 80,000 to Rs 1,00,000. The agent who made this enticing offer wasn’t a stranger – it was Nikshep, a person from a neighbouring village whom Ashok trusted.

With dreams of gaining financial stability, Ashok travelled to Cambodia via Bangkok, accompanied by Nikshep. What awaited him was a den of cybercriminals.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Ashok said, “From Bangkok, I was taken to Cambodia by road. Upon reaching, my passport, visa and other documents were taken away on the pretext of completing the formal documentation process. For the first few days, I lived in Nikshep’s room but was later shifted to a dormitory.”

Two weeks after reaching Cambodia, Ashok came to know that his job was not to process data but run cyber fraud operations. “It was nothing but a jail,” Ashok recalled. When he objected, his manager delivered a crushing ultimatum: “Pay Rs 13 lakh or remain captive indefinitely.”

Asked to scam Indians

With his passport and other documents confiscated by the gang, Ashok’s chances of either quitting or returning to India were negligible. “My job was to create fake profiles on dating applications, posing as a woman to lure unsuspecting victims. My target was to first befriend men on dating applications, and then start chatting with them on WhatsApp. After that, I was required to lure them into investing in fake forex and cryptocurrency trading portals. Those who helped siphon money from victims were given special incentives apart from their salaries. I have seen an Indian cybercriminal getting an iPhone as a gift. Basically, we were forced to work against India,” he added.

As days went on, though Ashok tried to stay away from cheating, his bosses mounted pressure on him over his ‘underperformance’. Ashok also reached out to his family members and pleaded with them to help rescue him. “We were given a place to stay, and we had no way to escape. We had to work 12 hours a day and return to our rooms. Food was provided by the gang itself,” he said.

Enduring days of abuse

Ashok’s life changed from bad to worse after he prevented a potential victim from getting swindled. “While I was chatting with an Indian man under the disguise of a girl on WhatsApp (WhatsApp web), he fell prey and was almost ready to transfer money. I raised an alert to prevent him from being deceived. But I did not know that the chat was being monitored,” said Ashok.

After the gang bosses learned about the incident, everything changed for Ashok in a matter of minutes. “I was put in a dark room, assaulted with an iron rod and given low-intensity electric shocks,” Ashok described, his voice trembling while recalling the harrowing experience. His mobile phone was also confiscated.

The torture continued for six days. During this time, he was permitted to use his phone only twice – both times under supervision to demand Rs 13 lakh from his family for his release.

A fake threat plan

But those two calls became his lifeline. Ashok contacted his neighbour, Manjunath Ravi, who had worked in Oman and Singapore. “As he had worked abroad, I believed that he could help me,” Ashok said.

Initially taken aback, Ravi assured to provide Rs 13 lakh as demanded. “I received the call from Ashok first and later from a woman from Cambodia demanding Rs 13 lakh to release him,” Ravi recalled.

While Ravi tried to contact the people he knew in MEA, nothing really helped. With no options left, he contacted the Narasimharajapura police. They instructed him to assure the fraudsters that money would be transferred while they worked behind the scenes.

Then, Sri Guru Sajjan, a police sub-inspector who took a keen interest in the case, petitioned senior officers to help the victim. “Ashok was held hostage in Cambodia, 5,000 km from India. Besides working diplomatic channels, there was very little opportunity to bring him back,” Sajjan said.

“As far as I can recall, the police were approached much later, after they had run out of other options. It was the first such case for me as well. I reached out to the Indian Embassy in Cambodia, but they could not help much at first. They told me that they do not have the permission to enter the premises of private companies or properties,” he added.

Sub-inspector Sri Guru Sajjan. (Express Photo)

The police found out that Nikshep had helped Ashok get the ‘job’. So, an FIR was registered against Nikshep for cheating and human trafficking. On the other hand, Dr Arathi Krishna, the then deputy chairman of the Non-Resident Indian Forum of Karnataka (NRIFK) and currently an MLC, also made efforts through diplomatic channels.

The police in Cambodia were also informed, but little action was taken. Thereafter, Sajjan came up with an idea to threaten Nikshep.

Sajjan said, “Seeing no opportunity to bring back Ashok, we sought Nikshep’s help. But he did not help us in any way. Later, we took the details of Nikshep’s parents in Balehonnur and asked them to come to the police station. From then on, we started to threaten Nikshep that his parents would be arrested and would be made to spend the rest of their lives in jail if Ashok was not released.”

Sajjan further said, “Nikshep was under severe pressure because of the threats we issued. The objective was to bring Ashok out of the building so that he could be taken to the embassy. On the other hand, Manjunath Ravi was delaying the extortion process, while assuring the criminals that he would pay the money.”

Under mounting pressure, Nikshep filed a fake mobile theft case against Ashok in Cambodia. Thereafter, the Cambodian Police arrested Ashok and brought him to the police station along with his documents that were seized by the gang. “It was the first time that Ashok had come out of the clutches of the cybercriminals. Then, Nikshep informed the embassy, and they got him released from the police,” Sajjan said.

Finally freed

In November 2023, Ashok was finally freed, but the danger hadn’t ended. Embassy officials advised him to leave all bags and luggage behind and proceed directly to Bangkok, and then to India. According to Ravi, “The embassy advice turned out to be a stroke of luck. Ashok left the bag, but later it was found that someone had put some drugs in his bag so that he would get caught at the airport. We came to know about it from embassy officials later.” Ashok returned home safely, met Sajjan and thanked him.

Sajjan, who is now a sub-inspector at Mallandur police station, told The Indian Express, “It was a rare case and I thought it could only be solved through MEA and legal channels. But one threat trick helped Ashok return to India.”

Ashok now works in his hometown and does not have any plans to move to any other country. On the other hand, Nikshep has not returned to India and is allegedly still working from Cambodia for cybercriminals.