18 Bangladeshis repatriated from Myanmar scam center

Eighteen Trafficked Bangladeshis Return Home from Myanmar Scam Center

Eighteen Bangladeshi nationals, who fell victim to human trafficking and were imprisoned in a scam center in Myanmar, returned home early Wednesday.

A Thai Airways flight carrying them landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 12:45 AM. Staff from the BRAC Migration Programme provided immediate assistance upon their arrival, according to a UNB report.

Shariful Hasan, Associate Director of BRAC's Migration and Youth Platform, stated that the victims’ families sought BRAC’s help, leading them to coordinate with Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the CID, and the Bangladesh Embassy in Thailand for their rescue.

The rescued individuals include Omar Faruk, Rasheduzzaman Islam, Md Alif, Raihan Sobhan, Sheikh Arman, Md Pavel Chowdhury, Monir Hossain, Md Ismail Hossain, Md Nizam Uddin, Zahir Uddin, Tanveer Akand Rafi, Towanur Khalilullah, Md Syamon Hossain, Md Ujjal Hossain, Mehedi Hasan, Md Kaisar Hossain, Md Shah Alam, and Md Akash Ali.

Md Alif, one of the victims from Chattogram, shared his ordeal: “I was working on a ship in Dubai when I was lured by the promise of a better-paying data entry job. I was taken to Thailand, then trafficked to the Thai-Myanmar border in Mass. There, I was held at gunpoint and sold into a scam center, where I was imprisoned for six months and subjected to severe abuse. To survive, I had no choice but to work in the scam operation.”

CID Additional Superintendent of Police Mostafizur Rahman reported that a key trafficker, Iftekharul Islam Rony, has been charged in eight separate human trafficking cases across different police stations. He was arrested on January 18 at Chattogram Airport, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend another key trafficker, Abdullah Al Noman.

Shariful Hasan from BRAC highlighted that cyber scams are a terrifying form of human trafficking. Criminals entice victims with fake job offers for roles like computer operators, typists, and call center agents through fraudulent websites, emails, and social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram. Once trapped inside scam centers, victims are held at gunpoint and forced to participate in fraudulent activities.

These scams are prevalent in countries such as Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, prompting government warnings against traveling to these regions. Hasan emphasized the importance of raising awareness, especially for individuals considering employment opportunities abroad.