Three Bangladeshis who escaped a scam compound in Myanmar and sought refuge in Thailand are expected to return home on Thursday.
Md Saidur Rahman, Rabiul and Md Sohel Rana are scheduled to arrive in Dhaka at 4:20pm on US-Bangla Airlines flight BS-218.
Their return follows efforts by Anirban Survivor Voice Foundation, which approached the Wage Earners' Welfare Board on Aug 24 after receiving complaints from the workers and their families.
The board subsequently instructed the labour wing of the Bangladesh Embassy in Bangkok to arrange the release and repatriation of eight Bangladeshis staying at a safe house run under Thailand's Mae Sot immigration authorities.
Three are due to return on Thursday, while legal procedures for the remaining five are continuing.
How They Ended Up In Myanmar
According to Anirban Survivor Voice Foundation, the eight Bangladeshis had travelled to Cambodia and Laos with official clearance for overseas employment.
One of them, Abhi Jacob Rosario, said they were initially employed in those countries before being taken to Thailand by traffickers promising better jobs.
He alleged that the traffickers then forced them across the border into Myanmar at gunpoint and sold them to a scam compound operated by Chinese nationals.
There, the workers were allegedly forced to carry out online fraud and subjected to physical abuse if they failed to meet targets.
Rosario described a room known as the "black room", where workers were tortured.
He said his family eventually secured his release by paying a ransom of $10,000.
The other workers escaped the compound and crossed into Thailand, where they surrendered to immigration police in Mae Sot because they lacked valid Thai visas.
The authorities treated them as irregular entrants and placed them in a safe house while arrangements were made for their return.
Bangladeshis Trapped In Scam Centres
Bangladeshis have previously been rescued from scam compounds in Myanmar after being lured abroad by promises of well-paid jobs.
Eight returned home on Jan 22 this year, while another 18 were repatriated on Sept 19, 2025.
Victims in earlier cases reported having their passports and mobile phones confiscated before being forced into online fraud.
Recruiters have used fake websites and job advertisements circulated through email and social media to offer positions such as computer operators, call centre executives and customer service staff.
The government and BRAC have repeatedly warned jobseekers about fraudulent recruitment schemes involving Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.