51 Nepali Citizens Rescued from Illegal Online Scam Centers in Cambodia

Fifty-one Nepali citizens, who were lured by various temptations and subsequently held captive in illegal online scam centers in Cambodia, have been rescued. They are scheduled to land at Tribhuvan International Airport on Wednesday, thanks to the special initiative of the Nepali Embassy in Bangkok and the cooperation of the Cambodian government.

The rescued Nepalis, whose repatriation was also facilitated by the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) Cambodia, flew from Cambodia for their home country on Chaitra 10. According to the embassy, they were being forced into illegal work at local online fraud centers and casinos. Most Nepalis were found stranded without visas or with expired visas.

Recently, complaints have been increasing that the passports of Nepalis working in scam centers in Cambodia are being confiscated by the companies or lost during transfers. In such situations, the embassy is assisting stranded Nepalis without passports by issuing free one-way travel permits for their return home. The embassy stated that efforts are ongoing to rescue and bring back other Nepalis who are still in difficult circumstances.

According to statistics released by the embassy, the number of Nepalis traveling to Cambodia on tourist visas has increased abnormally over the past five years. While only 101 Nepalis went to Cambodia in 2021, this number reached 6,404 in 2024 and is projected to increase to 9,676 in 2025. It appears that most Nepalis travel there through unsafe routes, lured by the prospect of earning quick and substantial money.

Meanwhile, the Nepali Embassy in Bangkok issued a statement strongly warning the general public not to travel to countries like Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand under the guise of tourist visas, lured by job offers.