Special Correspondent, Dhaka – A group of 37 Bangladeshi nationals who were rescued from various cyber scam compounds in Cambodia have safely returned home.
The victims revealed that they had been lured abroad with promises of attractive jobs, only to be held hostage and forced into online fraudulent activities.
The returnees arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka around 1:30 AM on Thursday night aboard a Thai Airways flight.
Upon their arrival, the Migration Program of the non-governmental development organization BRAC provided immediate emergency assistance. In addition, the organization offered financial support to help the returnees safely travel back to their respective homes.
Forced Into Cyber Slavery
One of the victims from Dhaka, using the pseudonym Shahin, shared his harrowing ordeal. He explained that they were sent to Cambodia under the guise of legitimate, high-paying employment opportunities.
However, upon arrival, a Bangladeshi trafficking ring sold them out to various cyber scam centers heavily controlled by Chinese syndicates.
Key Takeaways from the Human Trafficking Ordeal:
The Trap: Victims were lured with lucrative job offers like computer operators or typists.
The Reality: Trapped inside highly secured compounds, they were forced into illicit online operations.
The Abuse: Failure to meet strict daily scamming targets resulted in severe physical and psychological torture.
The victims stated that they were forced against their will to carry out complex online scams. Their primary objectives involved targeting wealthy citizens in developed countries, specifically the United States.
Fortunately, recent targeted crackdowns by Cambodian law enforcement agencies successfully raided several of these digital scam dens, liberating the trapped Bangladeshi nationals.
A Growing Regional Threat
This is not an isolated incident. Earlier this year on January 22, eight Bangladeshis were rescued and brought back from similar cyber scam centers in Myanmar. Prior to that, on September 19, 2025, another 18 Bangladeshi citizens returned home under identical circumstances.
Those victims had been trafficked into Myanmar through the Thailand border under false pretenses. Once inside the compounds, their passports and mobile phones were immediately confiscated, severing all communication with the outside world before they were forced into cyber fraud at gunpoint.
Call for Comprehensive Action
Shariful Hasan, the Associate Director of BRAC’s Migration Program and Youth Platform, emphasized that cyber scamming has evolved into a terrifying modern face of human trafficking.
Traffickers routinely post fake job advertisements for roles like computer operators, data typists, or call center executives on platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, and via phishing emails. Once the job seekers reach these locations, they are held hostage under armed guard.
“This is exactly why the government and BRAC have repeatedly issued urgent warnings regarding job offers in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia,” Shariful Hasan remarked.
He strongly advocated for mandatory verification of foreign job offers, ensuring safe migration pathways, and establishing globally coordinated law enforcement efforts to permanently dismantle these international cyber scam networks.