India’s Alert Leads To Cambodia’s Largest Cybercrime Raid, 3,075 Arrested Across 138 Sites

Last Updated:July 24, 2025, 10:29 IST

Cambodia’s raids exposed transnational scam hubs where trafficked victims were coerced into running cyberfraud rackets targeting users across Asia

Cambodian military police personnel guard a cache of computers, smartphones and other equipment seized during a raid on a scam center in Kandal province on July 17, 2025. (AFP/Pool)

In one of the largest coordinated crackdowns on cybercrime in Southeast Asia, Cambodian authorities have arrested more than 3,000 individuals from over a dozen countries. The operation, which targeted online fraud networks, took place between June 27 and July 22, 2025, and covered 138 locations.

According to Business Today, the action followed requests from Indian agencies, including the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C).

“This was a big step by the Cambodian government on the request of MHA, Ministry of External Affairs and I4C," Home Ministry sources said, as reported by Business Today.

The raids targeted cyberfraud compounds across Phnom Penh and 16 other provinces, uncovering transnational scam networks powered by forced labour, trafficking, and torture. Cambodian authorities said a total of 3,075 suspects, including 606 women, were arrested.

Those detained included:

The suspects are currently being processed for legal action, deportation, or further investigation. Officials of the Government of India and the Ministry of External Affairs are taking steps to deport Indians arrested in Cambodia, as reported by Business Today.

Cambodian PM Ordered Action, Warned Officials Of Dismissal

The crackdown was launched under direct orders from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, who issued strict instructions to law enforcement and military officials. Any failure to act, the directive warned, could result in termination.

The operations began shortly after the first meeting of Cambodia’s Anti-Money Laundering Commission on June 27 and were accelerated after the Prime Minister’s order on July 15, as noted in an official statement by the Secretariat of the Commission for Combating Online Fraud.

Forced Labour, Crypto Scams And ‘Digital Arrests’

The raids exposed a grim underworld of digital fraud compounds, many allegedly backed by Chinese organised crime groups, where victims were lured via fake job offers, then held captive and forced to operate call centre-style cyber scams.

The United Nations estimates that over 100,000 people are currently trapped in such scam compounds across Cambodia. These illegal operations fuel global frauds, including investment scams, crypto cons, romance baiting, and even law enforcement impersonation.

Some scam centres reportedly conducted “digital arrests," posing as police or tax officials to extort money from unsuspecting online users across Asia. Fake Indian and Chinese police uniforms were among the materials seized during the raids.

Seizures And Court Action

Cambodian police recovered hundreds of digital devices used in the operations, along with weapons, bullets, drug processing equipment, ecstasy powder, white powder suspected to be narcotics, and forged law enforcement paraphernalia.

Khmer Times reported that “the perpetrators were sent to court to carry out procedures," with Phnom Penh alone forwarding 11 accused and evidence to the court, which ordered temporary detention for eight. Additionally, 17 Chinese nationals have been moved to a deportation staging facility in Preah Sihanouk province, with preparations underway to send them back.

After the raids, locations were sealed off by authorities to prevent re-entry or destruction of evidence.

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