44 Indonesians rescued from gambling ring in Cambodia

Officers in Cambodia have carried out a raid and rescued 44 Indonesians who were held hostage by a Chinese gang and forced to work in illegal gambling.

Cambodia.- Police in Cambodia say they have rescued 44 Indonesian citizens from a Chinese-run online gambling ring. The gang is said to be directly linked to a gambling network that was operating outside Sihanoukville and that had connections to other criminal activities.

The 44 people answered a job offer that prompted them to leave Indonesia for Cambodia. Once there, they were forced to work 12-hour days and meet quotas that were often unattainable. 

Police said the criminal syndicate usually paid the workers less than the advertised wage and also sent ransom notes to families demanding $3,000 to $5,000 for release of the workers. The Khmer Times has reported that 30 of the 44 were trafficked between different criminal groups.

Last November, police in Cambodia rescued 103 Thai citizens from a Chinese-run online gambling ring. It was previously revealed that three Cambodian citizens had been held against their will by a human trafficker and forced to work at an illegal casino in Sihanoukville.