Seven Nepalis Rescued from Illegal Online Scam Centers in Cambodia

Bangkok. Seven Nepali citizens who were lured to Cambodia and forced into illegal online scams and casino work have been rescued. The rescue was facilitated by the Nepali Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, with the cooperation of the Cambodian government, and they have since returned to Nepal.

According to the embassy, with the facilitation of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) Cambodia, they departed from Cambodia on Chaitra 22 and landed at Tribhuvan International Airport on Chaitra 23. Lured by traffickers, they were forced into illegal labor at illicit online scam centers and casinos.

Some were residing in the country illegally without visas. The embassy stated that efforts are ongoing to repatriate other Nepalis stranded or in difficult circumstances. The embassy has received information that many Nepali citizens are still being forced into illegal activities, including online fraud, or are overstaying their visas in Cambodia.

The embassy has urged Nepali citizens in difficult situations who wish to return to Nepal to contact them immediately for assistance. Stranded individuals can contact the Nepali Embassy in Bangkok or NRNA Cambodia representatives Shivraj Parajuli, Lalsingh Khadka, and Ramji Kumar Chhetri.

There have been increasing complaints that employers at scam centers confiscate passports or that passports are lost during transfers. In such cases, the embassy has arranged to issue one-way travel documents free of charge for those wishing to return to Nepal. The full procedure is available on the embassy's website.

Recent alarming statistics show an unnatural rise in the number of Nepalis traveling to Cambodia on visit visas. According to Cambodian tourism data, while only 101 Nepalis visited on tourist visas in 2021, the numbers have skyrocketed annually. The embassy noted that 1,977 Nepalis arrived in 2022, 2,940 in 2023, 6,404 in 2024, and the number rose to 9,676 in 2025.

Following the rise in human trafficking cases involving visit visas, the embassy has issued a warning. It has cautioned all citizens to seek foreign employment only after obtaining labor permits in accordance with the standards set by the Government of Nepal. The embassy has appealed to citizens not to travel to countries like Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand under the guise of tourism in search of employment, lured by the promise of quick and high earnings.