Unemployment in India has long been a source of anxiety for millions of young people, but recent events have thrown a harsh spotlight on the lengths to which some will go—and the dangers they face—in search of a better future. In two separate but equally troubling developments, authorities in Andhra Pradesh and Tripura have uncovered elaborate scams that prey on the dreams of job seekers, exposing them to cybercrime rings abroad or implicating them in fraudulent government recruitment schemes at home.
In the bustling coastal city of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, police say a wave of cyber scams has swept through the region, targeting unemployed youths from Vizag and Vijayawada. According to reporting by local authorities on August 12, 2025, hundreds of young people have been lured by the promise of lucrative overseas jobs in countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. These offers, often for roles like data entry or hospitality work, come with the promise of decent salaries, food, and accommodation—enough to convince desperate job seekers to pay agents between Rs 2 to 3 lakh for the chance to work abroad.
But the reality awaiting them is far from the dream they were sold. Inspector K Bhavani Prasad of the Vizag Cybercrime Police Station explained that some of these agents are not strangers—they are, in fact, victims turned perpetrators. "Some youngsters from Andhra Pradesh who had gone to Cambodia and Laos worked for Chinese cybercriminals and duped Indians (particularly people in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana). These individuals, now turned agents, have been deceiving unemployed youth in the Vizag region into cyber slavery abroad with fake job offers," Prasad told local media.
Once the duped youth land in Thailand, the situation quickly deteriorates. Many find themselves trafficked to neighboring countries like Laos and Cambodia, where they are forced to commit cybercrimes against fellow Indians. Their new bosses, often Chinese nationals involved in organized cybercrime syndicates, threaten and abuse them if they refuse to cooperate. The scale of the problem is difficult to quantify, but police suspect that hundreds of young people from Andhra Pradesh are currently trapped in these networks.
The ordeal of these victims is not just a story of financial loss. A few weeks before August 12, 2025, more than ten young men from Vizag and other parts of Andhra Pradesh managed to send a desperate video message home from an undisclosed location in Thailand, pleading for help. Their families, shocked and frightened, turned to authorities for assistance.
Preliminary investigations have revealed a complex web of recruiters and agents operating in Vizag, Vijayawada, and other cities. These agencies target the most vulnerable—those struggling to find work in a tough job market—and promise them a way out. But the path they offer leads not to prosperity, but to exploitation and criminality. Victims are forced to work for organized cybercrime syndicates, with little hope of escape.
Vizag city police chief Dr. Shanka Brata Bagchi issued a stark warning to job seekers on August 12, 2025: "Job aspirants must verify credentials and licenses of agencies before accepting overseas job offers, as cyber crooks have been duping unemployed youth with fake job offers." His appeal reflects the growing concern among law enforcement that the problem is spiraling out of control, with new cases surfacing regularly and more young people falling victim to these sophisticated scams.
Meanwhile, in the northeastern state of Tripura, another form of employment fraud has come to light—one that strikes at the heart of the government recruitment process. On August 9, 2025, Kamalpur police arrested two young men from Uttar Pradesh, Rupesh Kumar and Pradeep Kumar, for attempting to secure government jobs under Tripura’s resident quota using fake documents. Accompanied by a woman named Mamata Singh, the accused had cleared the Staff Selection Commission (SSC GD) exams by falsely claiming residency in Morachhara, a subdivision of Tripura’s Dhalai district.
According to local reports, the arrests came after a Common Service Centre operator in Morachhara grew suspicious when the trio attempted to arrange address proof. The operator alerted local residents, who in turn tipped off the police. The two men were apprehended at Salema on August 8, 2025, as they made their way to Kamalpur to collect their fraudulent job offer letters from the post office.
The case has shone a light on a longstanding recruitment scam that, according to sources, has been operating for years. Candidates from outside Tripura—particularly from Delhi, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh—have been using forged residential documents to secure jobs under the state’s quota. The incentive is clear: qualifying marks under Tripura’s quota are significantly lower than in their home states, making it easier to land a government job.
Police believe a network involving individuals from Assam Rifles and the Border Security Force (BSF) has been facilitating these fraudulent activities. In this instance, the name of a retired Assam Rifles jawan, Umesh Chandra, surfaced again. Chandra is alleged to have arranged for outsiders to use fake Tripura residential identities for SSC exams. All three accused in the current case successfully passed the exam, but their plan unraveled thanks to the vigilance of local citizens and authorities.
The arrests have sparked outrage among local unemployed youth, who gathered outside the police station to protest what they see as outsiders "snatching away their rightful employment opportunities through fraudulent means." Their anger is not new—demands for a high-level inquiry into the SSC recruitment scam have been raised before, but the latest incident has reignited calls for action. The arrested individuals are set to be produced before the court, and local leaders are pressing for a thorough investigation.
What ties these two stories together is a sense of desperation—a willingness among India’s unemployed youth to take risks, sometimes at great personal cost, in pursuit of a better life. Whether it’s falling prey to overseas cybercrime syndicates or getting caught up in fraudulent recruitment schemes at home, the underlying drivers are the same: a lack of opportunity, a hunger for security, and a belief that the system is stacked against them.
Authorities in both Andhra Pradesh and Tripura have urged job seekers to exercise caution and vigilance. The message is clear: verify the credentials of prospective employers, be wary of offers that seem too good to be true, and report any suspicious activity to the police. As the scale and sophistication of employment scams continue to grow, so too must the resolve of communities and law enforcement to protect those most at risk.
For the families waiting for news from loved ones abroad, and for the young people whose dreams have been derailed by fraud, the fight for justice is far from over. But the recent arrests and warnings offer a glimmer of hope that with greater awareness and cooperation, the tide may yet turn against those who exploit the vulnerable.