13 Indians, lured into unsafe work in Laos, rescued

New Delhi: Thirteen Indians, who were lured into illegal work in Laos, have been rescued and are being sent back home, the Indian embassy in the Southeast Asian country said on Sunday.

Last month, 17 Indian workers were rescued in Laos and were repatriated to India.

"In our continued work to ensure safety & well-being of Indians as matter of top priority, Embassy successfully rescues & repatriates 13 Indians, incl. 7 Odiya workers from a wood factory in Attapeu province & 6 Indian youth from Golden Triangle SEZ, Bokeo province of Laos," the Indian embassy said on 'X'.

"So far, Embassy has rescued 428 Indians from Lao PDR. We thank Lao authorities for their cooperation," it said.

The embassy also appealed to Indian nationals looking for jobs in Laos to be very careful so that they are not lured into fake or illegal employment.

"For Indian workers coming to Laos/Lao PDR, do NOT put your safety at risk by getting duped into fake or illegal job offers for cyber scams etc," it said.

On May 7, the embassy came out with an advisory cautioning Indians against fake job offers.

"Instances have come to our notice recently wherein Indian nationals are being lured for employment through Thailand," it said.

"These fake jobs are for posts such as of 'Digital Sales and Marketing Executives' or 'Customer Support Service' by dubious companies involved in call-centre scams and crypto-currency fraud in Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Laos," the embassy said in the advisory.

It said agents in places such as Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore and India associated with these firms are recruiting Indians by taking simple interviews and tests.

"Victims are illegally taken across the border into Laos from Thailand and held captive to work in Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Laos under harsh and restrictive conditions," it said.

"At times, they are taken hostages by criminal syndicates indulging in illegal activities and forced to work in strenuous conditions under constant physical and mental torture," the advisory said.

The embassy said there were instances of Indian workers being brought to Laos to work in other regions of Laos in low-cost jobs such as mining, wood factory, etc.

In most cases, their handlers exploit them and forced them into illegal work, it said.

"A number of Indians have been rescued under very difficult conditions," it said.

Last month, the external affairs ministry cautioned Indian nationals against falling prey to human traffickers promising lucrative job opportunities in Cambodia.

In an advisory, the ministry called upon Indians looking at job opportunities in the Southeast Asian country to thoroughly check the background of the prospective employer.