35 Bangladeshi workers return from Russia alleging recruitment fraud
Their contracts specified factory work, but in practice they were assigned to construction jobs
A total of 35 Bangladeshi workers returned home from Russia today (18 January) after being terminated from their jobs, alleging that they were victims of fraud and deception during the recruitment process.
The workers arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 5:45pm aboard Qatar Airways flight QR-638.
Shariful Hasan, associate director of BRAC, said the returnees were provided with transportation and emergency assistance at the airport through joint support from the Expatriate Welfare Desk and Civil Aviation Security.
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Several of the workers, including Mashiur Rahman of Gaibandha, Asmat Ali of Manikganj, Haiyul Mia of Mymensingh, Azadul Haque of Sirajganj, Prosenjit Rajbanshi of Dhaka, and Md Abdullah of Chapainawabganj said they were deceived in the name of overseas employment. Each of them reportedly spent around Tk7 lakh to secure the jobs.
According to the returnees, the recruiting company terminated their employment without providing any clear explanation and arranged for their repatriation. They said a total of 120 Bangladeshi workers are being sent back in phases, with today's arrival marking the first batch.
The workers said they were sent to Russia in July 2025 through Kashipur Overseas (RL-1317) under clearance issued by the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET). Although the clearance mentioned Russian company Mars International Limited Trade Development, they claimed that upon arrival, they were employed by a different firm, LLC Alabuga Development Company.
They added that their contracts specified factory work, but in practice, they were assigned to construction jobs.
The returnees also alleged irregularities in the recruitment process before their departure. They said they were initially transferred from a travel agency named Jubayer Overseas to another recruiting agency, TPS-360 Bangladesh Limited (RL-995), which later completed the processing and arranged BMET clearance.
However, they claimed TPS-360 Bangladesh Limited used the licence of another recruiting agency, Kashipur Overseas (RL-1317), to obtain the clearance.
The affected workers urged the relevant government authorities to carry out a thorough investigation and take legal action against those responsible.
