India said its missions helped rescue 6,998 Indian nationals from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar between 2022 and December 2025, while the government has no count of how many remain stranded across the three countries.
In a written answer dated Feb. 6, 2026, to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh listed 2,533 people rescued from Cambodia, 2,297 from Lao PDR and 2,168 from Myanmar. “The exact number of Indian nationals stranded in these countries is not known,” Singh said.
The government linked some cases to deceptive overseas recruitment. It said firms used misleading job offers, including pitches circulated on social media, to bring Indians to scam centers and involve them in cybercrime and other fraud.
The answer said 3,505 unregistered recruiting agents were listed on India's e-Migrate portal as of December 2025, based on complaints and information from Indian missions. In April 2024, the Ministry of External Affairs advised job seekers to use authorized agents and check prospective employers.
The News Minute reported July 31, 2026, that 20 Indian nationals had been detained in Cambodia since June 26 on online-scamming charges. The outlet said the group included 16 men and four women. An Indian Embassy letter cited in the report described them as awaiting trial in a provincial prison and recorded a consular visit on July 21. Families were seeking details about charges, case numbers and court proceedings, the outlet reported.
Cambodia's Ministry of Interior reported that 1,921 Indian nationals were deported between Sept. 1, 2023, and Sept. 13, 2026. It said 575 were involved in online scams but did not specify their roles. The deportation figure covers a separate period and category; it does not give a current count of Indians in custody.
India's rescue tally and Cambodia's deportation count do not establish how many people remain stranded across Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar.
