Context

Recently, about 5,000 Indians are trapped in Cambodia with 250 people having been rescued, and the foreign ministry is working with Interpol to rescue the remaining individuals.

China’s Nexus in Fake Job Scams

• Organized Crime by China: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has contributed to the growth of organized crime in Southeast Asia.
• Organized Crime Industry: Fake job scams, cyber fraud, human trafficking, and crypto fraud have created a $15 billion industry.

China’s Role in the Rise of Online Organized Crime

• Role of Gambling Mafias in China: Powerful casino and gambling mafias in China led to a ban on casinos.
• Relocation of Mafias to South-East Asia: Mafias moved to Southeast Asian countries to run casino and gambling centres.
• Shifting of Mafias to Online Fraud: When these countries cracked down on casinos and COVID-19 halted casino activities, the mafias shifted to online fraud.
• Organized Crime Syndicate: Chinese mafias are the key players in this organized crime syndicate. Compounds and buildings used for fraud are built or related to BRI proiects.

China’s Influence in Southeast Asia

• Influence of China: China has established significant influence in countries like Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand through BRI.
• Nexus of Corruption: Chinese mafias have formed a nexus of corruption with governments and officials in these countries, providing them with protection.
• Sharing of Illegal Profits: In return, these countries receive a share of the profits from the billion-dollar fraud industry.
• Loss Incurred: The US alone suffered a loss of $2.6 billion due to these frauds in 2022.

The Corporate Culture of the Racket

• Culture of Rackets: The racket operates like a corporate culture, with compounds instead of companies.
• Definition of Compounds: Compounds have small dormitories where hundreds of thousands of people are trapped through human trafficking and forced to commit fraud.
• Report of United Nations: UN reports suggest that 200,000-300,000 people may be trapped in these compounds.
• Punishments: Victims are given fraud targets, and failure to meet targets results in torture, sale to other compounds, or even death.

India’s Efforts to Resolve the Fake Job Scams Issue

• Operation Storm: India has conducted Operation Storm with Interpol to rescue trapped Indians.
• Establishment of Anti-Trafficking Cell: The Home Ministry has established an anti-trafficking cell to prevent trafficking at the district level.
• Ratification of Treaty: India has ratified the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime (UNCTOC) and its Protocol on Prevention, Suppression and Punishment of Trafficking in Persons, particularly Women and Children. 

Way Forward

While governments of other countries often remain helpless against these mafias, India should focus on creating a basic awareness campaign to protect people from fake job scams.