54 more Bangladeshis return home from Cambodia scam compounds

Another 54 Bangladeshi nationals rescued from cyber scam compounds in Cambodia returned home today (13 June), bringing the total number of returnees to 91 over the past two days.

The group arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a Thai Airways flight (TG-321) and received emergency assistance and financial support from BRAC's Migration Programme.

According to a BRAC press release, the victims were lured to Cambodia with promises of well-paid jobs abroad and travelled with clearance from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET). After arrival, however, Bangladeshi trafficking networks allegedly sold them to Chinese-controlled cyber scam compounds.

One returnee said he arrived in Cambodia in December 2025 after being promised a computer-related job. He later discovered he had been placed in a scam operation that defrauded people online. 

When he refused to work, he was allegedly told that a Bangladeshi broker had sold him for $2,085 and that he would have to repay the amount to secure his release.

Another victim said he had initially worked at a supermarket in Cambodia for a monthly salary of $400 before being sold to a scam centre under the pretext of a new job.

The returnees said they were forced to participate in online fraud schemes targeting citizens of developed countries, particularly the United States. Failure to meet targets often resulted in physical and psychological abuse.

Shariful Hasan, associate director of BRAC's Migration Programme and Youth Platform, said the Bangladeshis were rescued during operations by Cambodian law enforcement agencies. He described cyber scam trafficking as a growing form of human trafficking and urged greater awareness among job seekers.

Earlier, 37 Bangladeshis returned from Cambodia on Friday. Eight others were repatriated from a scam centre in Myanmar on 22 January, while 18 returned from similar operations in September last year.