Fake Police Sign, Gandhi Photo: How Scammers In Cambodia "Arrested' Indians

Fake signboards with logos of the Mumbai police and of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), with pictures of Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar on either side, along with the Indian flag, were found inside an abandoned compound used by scammers for "digital arrest" operations in Cambodia. Authorities in Phnom Penh believe a China-born tycoon is the alleged kingpin of the scam.

Cambodian authorities have closed almost 200 such scam centers in a crackdown on global transnational fraud hubs in recent weeks. "There are about 190 locations that we have sealed off now," Chhay Sinarith, senior minister and chair of Cambodia's Commission for Combating Online Scams, told Reuters in Phnom Penh.

Chhay said 173 senior crime figures linked to the centers had been arrested and 11,000 workers deported in a campaign that began late last year after the US indicted and then China extradited Ly Kuong, a China-born alleged scam kingpin, in the strongest international move so far against the criminal networks.

What Visuals Showed

News agency Reuters shared rare visuals from one center, showing how scammers were tackling the sophisticated operations targeting people across the globe. The visuals from a sprawling complex in Kampot province near the Vietnam border showed scamsters were using fake signboards, the Indian flag, and even pictures of Gandhi and Ambedkar to defraud Indians from abroad in "digital arrests."

This is an abandoned scam center in Cambodia used by scamsters for defrauding Indians by fake digital arrests. They put Indian flags, pictures of Gandhi and Ambedkar and CBI Logo to resemble it like CBI Office. No such thing as Digital Arrest exists in Lawpic.twitter.com/UvLLTKFR0U

— NCMIndia Council For Men Affairs (@NCMIndiaa) February 11, 2026

Cambodian police said that thousands of scam workers, some of them trafficking victims confined in brutal conditions, have fled compounds in recent weeks seeking to return home, in what Amnesty International has called a "humanitarian crisis."

Thousands Flee Amid Crackdown

At the Kampot compound, large workrooms were seen with rows of computer stations and desks strewn with documents instructing how to scam Thai victims, as well as studio booths for phone calls and a fake Indian police station.

Authorities said there were no arrests made inside the Kampot casino complex known as My Casino. Workers fled after the detention of alleged boss and tycoon Ly Kuong, and police said they lacked the manpower to detain those leaving.

"We have only about 1,000 policemen in the entire province, and there are about 300 military policemen," said Kampot provincial police chief Mao Chanmothurith. "Even with both forces combined, we still can't stop them because there were about 6,000 to 7,000 of them when they left this place," he said.

What Led To The Crackdown

The visit came a week after Thai officials led media and foreign delegates to see a separate compound in Cambodian territory that Thai troops bombed and occupied during a border conflict in December. Similar materials, including fake police stations from multiple countries, as well as reams of documents, were also found there.

Cambodia has long played down the existence of scam compounds in the country, and previous crackdowns have done little to stop their spread. Officials say the latest campaign is broader in scope, with a focus on closing sites and detaining senior figures.