A young man from Tamil Nadu has died under tragic circumstances in Cambodia, allegedly after being held captive and tortured for refusing to participate in online financial scams. The incident has exposed a dark underworld of transnational cyber fraud operations that prey on Indian job seekers.
The Tragic Death of D Nandakumar
D Nandakumar, a 22-year-old resident of LIC Colony in Selvapuram, Coimbatore, passed away in a Cambodian hospital around 11 pm on December 17, 2025. According to sources, he did not respond to treatment. His death came just hours after officials from the Indian Embassy managed to rescue him from a situation his family describes as a month-long illegal confinement.
Nandakumar had been working at a hotel in Cambodia for approximately a year before his ordeal began. About six weeks prior to his death, he was allegedly coerced into joining a call centre operated by cyber criminals. When he firmly refused to take part in their fraudulent online activities, his handlers reportedly confiscated his passport, locked him in a room, and withheld food as punishment.
A Mother's Desperate Plea and a Son's Ordeal
The intervention that led to his rescue was triggered by his mother, D Geetha. She alerted Indian authorities after learning her son was being held against his will. In a handwritten petition dated December 18, submitted to the Coimbatore district administration, Geetha outlined the harrowing details of her son's suffering.
"Cyber fraud operators forced my son there to participate in online fraud activities," she wrote. "As he refused to do so, because of this, he has become a dead body." She stated that her son's health "deteriorated severely" due to the harassment and denial of food. Although he was later admitted to a hospital, doctors declared him dead during treatment.
On December 19, Geetha, who works as a domestic help, petitioned the Coimbatore District Collector seeking assistance to repatriate her son's body to India. The family, for whom Nandakumar was the sole breadwinner, faced a significant financial hurdle. Embassy officials initially quoted repatriation costs at Rs 7 lakh, later reducing it to Rs 3.5 lakh. District administration officials confirmed they are taking steps to facilitate the process.
Exposing a Vast Network of 'Cyber Slavery'
This heartbreaking case sheds harsh light on what Tamil Nadu law enforcement agencies term a form of "cyber slavery." It involves a shadowy transnational ecosystem that recruits both people and infrastructure from India to run scam compounds in Southeast Asian nations like Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand.
This is not an isolated incident. In July 2025, the Tamil Nadu Crime Branch–Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) uncovered a sophisticated network. This network was allegedly involved in smuggling thousands of Indian SIM cards to Cambodia for use in cyber scams. Simultaneously, it trafficked Indian job-seekers to work in the very same compounds where many find themselves trapped and forced into illegal activities.
Nandakumar's story is a grim reminder of the dangers lurking behind seemingly lucrative overseas job offers. Having completed Class X and previously worked in a Coimbatore hotel, he sought better opportunities abroad, only to fall victim to a ruthless criminal enterprise. His death underscores the urgent need for greater awareness, stronger international cooperation, and robust mechanisms to protect Indian citizens from such predatory networks.
