Kathmandu, Dec 10: With the coordination of relevant Thai authorities, the Embassy of Nepal in Bangkok has repatriated 47 Nepali citizens who had been stranded at various online scamming centers in Myanmar.
They were sent back to Nepal on Wednesday via Nepal Airlines flight RA402, the embassy stated.
Among those rescued, 45 are men and 2 are women. According to the embassy, they are from 26 different districts.
District-wise, five individuals are from Jhapa; three each from Dhading, Gorkha, Rupandehi, Sindhupalchok, and Udaypur; two each from Dang, Mahottari, Morang, Nawalparasi, Nuwakot, Syangja, and Tanahun; and one each from Chitwan, Dailekh, Kaski, Kathmandu, Kavre, Palpa, Ramechhap, Rautahat, Salyan, Sarlahi, Sindhuli, Taplejung, and Terhathum.
In terms of age groups, one individual is a 17-year-old minor; 26 are between 20–25 years; 10 between 26–30 years; 8 between 31–35 years; and one each aged 40 and 41.
Most of them had completed 10+2 studies or had backgrounds in information technology. They had been forced to engage in scamming activities for periods ranging from two months to eighteen months, the embassy said.
According to the rescued individuals, they were lured by promises of attractive salaries under the pretext of jobs related to online dating, casinos, gaming, phishing, and crypto fraud. They were contacted through social media advertisements, online gaming friends, acquaintances, or people they had met abroad, eventually leading them to these locations.
The embassy stated that many were deceived in Kathmandu itself, where they were offered high ”hourly income” and jobs as office staff, call-center employees, or receptionists, only to be trafficked to illegal scamming centers in Myanmar.
Although initially assigned easy tasks, they were later given harsh performance targets. Failure to meet these targets resulted in various accusations, physical and financial exploitation, being held hostage for ransom from their families, threats of imprisonment, and even death threats—acts they described as extremely inhumane.
The Embassy has urged everyone to avoid falling into such scamming centers in countries like Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand under the guise of “tourist visits.” It has also advised verifying any job offers received through social media or friends and to go abroad for employment only after obtaining labor approval from the Government of Nepal as per legal requirements. #thai #scam #nepal
