Talat Mahmud of Manikganj said he paid Tk 5 lakh to go to Cambodia in November last year. He travelled ded over to a firm run by Chinese people near the border<\/p>\n
There, his typing speed and English proficiency were tested. When he wanted to leave after realising what he was being made to do, his Bangladeshi agent asked him to stay, saying a better job would be arranged later<\/p>\n
Talat said he had to work through the night, and his agent gradually stopped responding. Soon afterwards, his phone was taken away and returned for around 10 minutes at a time. The operators told him he had been bought for $3,000<\/p>\n
Police case documents reviewed by The Daily Star show a similar pattern: job promises, large payments, mismatched travel documents, airport handlers, and delivery to guarded scam compounds<\/p>\n
Another victim, Al Amin, a Faridpur resident, said he went to Cambodia after being promised a data-entry job on an employment visa, only to find after arrival that he had a tourist visa. After two to three days, he and others were taken to a scam compound and sold for $1,500 each<\/p>\n
\u201cMy job was only to collect phone numbers using a female name and photos,\u201d he said<\/p>\n
He described a layered operation: one team collected phone numbers, another built relationships, a third gathered addresses and banking details, and the information was then passed to hackers who tried to empty the targets\u2019 bank accounts<\/p>\n
Mannan Sohel of Shariatpur said his ordeal continued after escaping a scam compound, as traffickers filed a false case accusing him, his father, and younger brother of trafficking. He said his father was in jail for 26 days in the case<\/p>\n
Maimuna Akter Mili alleged that she borrowed money to have a job in Cambodia that promises Tk 80,000 a month. She said a Bangladeshi received her on arrival and handed her over to a company run by Chinese people, where her passport and phone were taken away and she was forced to work<\/p>\n
She also alleged that many Bangladeshi women remained trapped in Cambodia after being lured with similar job offers<\/p>\n
RETURNEES<\/strong><\/p>\n A total of 109 Bangladeshis rescued from different scam facilities returned home on July 1<\/p>\n With them, 583 Bangladeshis have been repatriated from Cambodia since June, said BRAC\u2019s Migration Programme<\/p>\n According to Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) data cited by BRAC, 15,921 Bangladeshis travelled to Cambodia for work over the past one and a half years<\/p>\n Talking to The Daily Star, Shariful Hasan, associate director of BRAC\u2019s Migration Programme and Youth Platform, described the situation as \u201ccyber slavery\u201d<\/p>\n He said trafficking victims were being forced to make others victims through online scams. \u201cWhen someone goes abroad with BMET clearance and a smart card, they believe they are going through the official process. But instead of getting<\/a> a job, they are being sold off.\u201d<\/p>\n Mostafizur Rahman, additional superintendent of CID\u2019s Trafficking in Human Beings Unit, said many Bangladeshis had returned from Cambodia, but a few had filed cases<\/p>\n He said CID had already arrested several suspects and investigations were underway. \u201cWhen we made the process stricter, they [traffickers] shifted to alternative routes. Some used fake BMET cards. Some went to Thailand as tourists and then moved to Cambodia.\u201d<\/p>\n Contacted, Nurul Haque Noor, state minister for expatriates\u2019 welfare and overseas employment, said the ministry had tightened scrutiny of visas for people travelling to Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos for work, and asked law enforcers to act against those involved in visa fraud and overseas job scams.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n Related:<\/strong> \n <a href="https:\/\/yoursite.com\/automation-africa\/" title="WhatsApp Marketing Automation<\/a> Africa: 6 Dangerous Mistakes Brands<\/a> Make in Nigeria”> Join Justfine Infotech<\/strong> and build real digital skills in AI, automation, web development, digital marketing, office productivity, e-commerce, freelancing and cybersecurity.<\/p>\n Available Programmes:<\/strong> WhatsApp:<\/strong>![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.thedailystar.net\/themes\/custom\/swallow\/images\/google_news.svg\")
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