Eight Bangladeshis rescued from Myanmar cyber scam centre
The returnees arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 6pm from Bangkok.
Eight Bangladeshi nationals who were trafficked to a cyber scam centre in Myanmar returned home this evening (22 January), after being lured abroad with promises of well-paid computer-related jobs.
The returnees arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 6pm on Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG389 from Bangkok, according to a BRAC press release.
Shariful Hasan, Associate Director (Migration and Youth Platform) at BRAC, said the rescue and repatriation were coordinated with Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bangladesh Embassy in Thailand, the Thai NGO Civil Society Network for Victim Assistance in Human Trafficking, and other international partners.
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I was taken from my Dhaka residence to Dubai and later to Thailand with the promise of a computer-related job. In Myanmar, I was forced to sign a 1.5-year contract. Failure to meet weekly targets of collecting phone numbers resulted in brutal punishment.
Upon arrival, BRAC's Emergency Response Team, along with the Civil Aviation Authority, Expatriates' Welfare Desk, immigration police, and Bangladesh CID, provided travel assistance, emergency food support, and primary psychosocial counselling. BRAC will continue to support the victims in the coming days.
Family members said the men were promised jobs in Dubai, Malaysia, or Thailand, but were trafficked through Thailand's Mae Sot border into Myanmar. There, their passports and phones were confiscated, cutting off all contact, and they were forced to carry out cyber fraud under severe physical and psychological abuse.
The returnees are Md Abdul Malek and Habibur Rahman (Lalmonirhat), Rahim Badsha (Dhaka), SK Minhajul Hossain (Khulna), Md Mehraj Hasan (Narsingdi), Riyaz Fakir (Faridpur), Ripon Mia (Gazipur), and Ulhasa Marma (Bandarban).
Mehraj Hasan, a survivor from Narsingdi, said: "I was taken from my Dhaka residence to Dubai and later to Thailand with the promise of a computer-related job. In Myanmar, I was forced to sign a 1.5-year contract. Failure to meet weekly targets of collecting phone numbers resulted in brutal punishment, including running under the scorching sun and prolonged confinement in dark rooms."
Other victims said they initially entered Thailand on tourist visas before being trafficked to Myanmar, where they faced constant abuse and threats. Tasks mainly involved collecting personal phone numbers through Facebook, and failure to meet targets was met with severe punishment.
On 19 September 2025, 18 Bangladeshi nationals rescued from similar abuse in Myanmar were also repatriated. BRAC's Migration Program urged people to remain vigilant about overseas job offers advertised online and to verify them carefully before travelling abroad.
