Rescued from Cambodian cyber fraud ring, 221 Bangladeshis return home in four days

More than a hundred Bangladeshis have fallen victim to horrific fraud under the lure of attractive jobs abroad. Another 78 Bangladeshis rescued from various cyber scam centers in Cambodia returned home late Tuesday night. With this, a total of 221 have returned to the country in the last four days.

Most of the returnees said that they were taken to Cambodia with the promise of high-paying jobs. After reaching there, they were handed over to various cyber fraud rings instead of providing the promised jobs. There are also allegations that many were forcibly forced to engage in online fraudulent activities.

According to relevant sources, the rescued people were provided with necessary assistance at the airport and financial assistance to return to their respective areas. The concerned have urged everyone to be aware of this new tactic of human trafficking and cyber fraud.

Some of the victims said that several lakhs of taka were taken from them before being sent abroad. But they did not get any legitimate jobs upon reaching their destination. Instead, they were detained in various scam centers with their passports and means of communication confiscated.

They alleged that if they failed to meet the specified targets, they would face physical and mental torture. If someone refused to work, they were beaten, intimidated, and even given electric shocks.

According to information, a large number of Bangladeshis have gone to Cambodia for work in the last one and a half years. However, returnees claim that many Bangladeshis are still living a miserable life there, victims of similar fraud and human trafficking.

Experts say that these gangs are trapping people by showing attractive advertisements for jobs abroad through social media, fake websites, or messaging apps. Therefore, they have advised not to take any decision without proper verification when receiving job offers abroad.

The victims have demanded an investigation and strict legal action against the brokers and human trafficking gangs involved in this incident.