A total of 109 more Bangladeshis have returned home after being rescued from various cyber scam compounds in Cambodia, bringing the total to 362 in the last four days and 583 in June alone, according to the BRAC Migration Program.
They arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a Thai Airways flight at 1:25 am on Tuesday. BRAC said the returnees were provided emergency assistance, counseling, and financial support to reach their homes through a joint initiative involving Civil Aviation Security, the Expatriate Welfare Desk, and BRAC’s Migration Program.
One returnee from Lakshmipur said he was promised a job as a computer operator in Cambodia by a recruiting agency and broker network, for which he paid Tk 530,000 and obtained BMET clearance. However, he was later given only a one-month visit visa and handed over to brokers at the airport before being taken to a cyber scam compound.
Another victim said workers were forced to carry out online fraud targeting foreign citizens and were beaten, tortured, and even given electric shocks if they failed to meet targets. He said torture cells existed inside the compounds, and many were freed only after recent raids by Cambodian authorities.
Several returnees have already filed cases, while authorities have been urged to identify brokers, recruiting agencies, and trafficking networks involved in the operations and bring them to justice.
According to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), 15,921 Bangladeshis have gone to Cambodia for work in the past one and a half years. However, many returnees claim thousands still remain trapped in inhumane conditions after being deceived with false job promises.
Earlier incidents include eight Bangladeshis returning from a cyber scam center in Myanmar on January 22 and 18 others on September 19, 2025, who were also forced into online fraud after having their passports and phones confiscated.
BRAC said job scams often use fake advertisements for roles such as computer operators, call center executives, and customer service agents circulated through fake websites and platforms like email, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram to lure victims.
It urged job seekers to verify recruitment agencies, job offers, and visa types with relevant government authorities before traveling to Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
