The Cyber Crime Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police has arrested a 35-year-old man from Madurai for allegedly trafficking Indian nationals to cyber scam compounds in Cambodia and forcing them into online fraud operations under conditions described as “cyber slavery.”
The police identified the accused as Madhan Vadivel, who allegedly operated an international recruitment and trafficking network linked to organised cyber scam centres run by foreign nationals in Cambodia.
According to officials, the arrest was made following a complaint from a victim from Tirupattur district. An inquiry conducted by the State Cyber Crime Investigation Centre (SCCIC) revealed that the victim had been lured with promises of a lucrative overseas job in Cambodia. The accused allegedly collected money from the victim, arranged travel documents, and facilitated his journey to Cambodia, where he was handed over to operators running cyber scam compounds. The victim was allegedly confined inside the compound and forced to engage in online financial fraud and cyber scam activities.
The police said the victim later managed to escape, approached the Indian Embassy for assistance, and safely returned to India. Further investigation revealed that Madhan Vadivel allegedly acted as a key recruiter and facilitator in trafficking Indian nationals seeking overseas employment. Officials said he had been running multiple restaurants under the name ‘Jallikattu’ inside cyber scam compounds in Cambodia for the past few years and supplied Indian food to the trafficked victims lodged there.
The police also uncovered an extensive network allegedly involving foreign nationals operating scam centres, travel agents, immigration facilitators, and taxi drivers across Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Through this network, hundreds of Indian nationals are suspected to have been trafficked over the past three years. The accused received commissions for each recruitment and trafficking operation.
A special team of police arrested the accused in Madurai. Mobile phones, SIM cards and passport-related documents linked to the case were seized for forensic examination. Officials said further investigation is under way to identify other victims and recruiters and trace financial transactions and international links connected to the cyber fraud and human trafficking network.
Director-General of Police, Cyber Crime Wing, Bala Naga Devi urged the public to remain vigilant and verify all overseas job offers only through authorised recruitment agencies and official government channels. A list of registered recruiting agents can be found on: https://emigrate.gov.in/. She also advised them not to trust job advertisements circulated on social media platforms, WhatsApp groups, Telegram channels, or unknown online contacts.