The Embassy in Laos on Saturday informed 47 Indian nationals who were held forcefully in the country and directed to scam Indians back home online.

The Indian Embassy in Laos said in a statement: "Embassy of India has successfully rescued 47 Indians who were trapped in cyber-scam centres at the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Bokeo Province of Lao PDR."

" Of these, 29 were handed over to the Embassy by Laos authorities after their crackdown on illegal activities in Golden Triangle SEZ, while other 18 had approached the Embassy in distress, seeking help," the statement said.

Embassy officials travelled from Vientiane to Bokeo to actively liaise with local authorities to ensure the rescue of the Indian nationals.

The Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone is located along the Mekong River in the Ton Pheung District of Bokeo Province in Laos.

The zone has an area about 3,000 hectares and was created in 2007 by the Lao government together with the Chinese-owned Hong Kong-registered company Kings Romans Group with the hope of generating economic development.

The region has made headlines in recent times for being a hub for illegal activities.