Another 109 Bangladeshis rescued from cyber scam compounds in Cambodia returned home early today (1 July), bringing the total number of returnees from the country to 583 in June alone, according to a press release.

The latest group arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a Thai Airways flight at 1:25am. With their return, a total of 362 Bangladeshis have come back from Cambodia over the past four days.

Upon arrival, the returnees received emergency assistance, counselling and financial support for travel to their homes through a joint initiative of Civil Aviation Security, the Expatriate Welfare Desk and BRAC's Migration Programme.

Several returnees described being lured abroad with promises of well-paid jobs before being forced to work in cyber scam operations.

One victim from Lakshmipur said a recruiting agency and a broker network promised him a job as a computer operator at a company in Cambodia and took Tk5.3 lakh from him. He said a Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) clearance was also arranged before his departure.

However, after arriving in Cambodia, he received a one-month visit visa instead of a work visa. He alleged that Bangladeshi brokers received him at the airport and later sold him to a cyber scam compound.

Another returnee said victims were forced to participate in online fraud targeting foreign nationals. Those who failed to meet targets were allegedly subjected to beatings, physical abuse and electric shocks.

According to the returnees, many were freed after Cambodian law enforcement agencies recently conducted drives against scam operations.

Shariful Hasan, associate director of BRAC's Migration Programme and Youth Platform, said cyber scams had increasingly become a form of human trafficking.

"Showing the lure of high-paying jobs, Bangladeshis are taken abroad and forced into online fraudulent activities. If they fail to meet targets, they face physical and mental torture," he said.

Shariful said the return of 583 Bangladeshis in June indicated the scale of the trafficking network. He called for proper investigations to identify and bring to justice the brokers, recruiting agencies and international trafficking syndicates involved.

According to BMET data, 15,921 Bangladeshis travelled to Cambodia for work over the past year and a half.

BRAC said many of the returnees who came back in June had BMET clearances.

The organisation also warned job seekers to verify employment offers, employers and visa types before travelling to countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam for work.