As investigations into international cybercrime continue to expand, Kerala Police are preparing a new profiling exercise to better understand the growing links between Cambodia-based fraud syndicates and residents of the state.
The city police plan to profile Keralites who travelled to Cambodia in recent years to identify possible victims, recruiters, and operatives connected to cybercrime networks. The move follows multiple investigations that found local residents playing different roles in cyber fraud operations linked to Cambodia.
Officials clarified that travellers to Cambodia are not being treated as suspects. Instead, the exercise aims to identify people who may have been trapped by these syndicates, study recruitment patterns, and detect individuals who may have become part of the criminal network.
The profiling will use intelligence inputs from the state intelligence wing, central agencies, and information collected during ongoing investigations.
In March, police arrested a recruiter accused of sending young people to Cambodia for cyber fraud operations. Earlier this month, a native of Palakkad was detained for allegedly working as a team leader for a Cambodia-based syndicate involved in matrimonial and investment scams targeting Keralites.
Investigators said many young people travel overseas believing they have secured genuine jobs. However, after reaching Cambodia, their passports are allegedly seized, and they are kept under constant surveillance.
Officials further stated that even after some victims return to India, syndicates allegedly use threats or compromising material to stop them from revealing details of the operations. Police believe the profiling exercise will help identify such victims and provide necessary support.
Investigators also said intelligence gathered from multiple cyber fraud cases has repeatedly pointed to a building known as ‘Mansion 8’ in Cambodia, which is believed to be a major operational hub for these criminal activities.
The ongoing exercise is expected to strengthen investigations by identifying victims, recruiters, and active operatives while exposing recruitment networks that allegedly lure young people abroad with fake job offers before forcing them into cyber fraud.
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