Eighteen victims of human trafficking returned to Dhaka on a Thailand flight at 12.45am on Wednesday, ending their frightful ordeals in a Myanmar scam centre.

Human traffickers first lured the migrant workers from Dubai and other Middle East destinations to Thailand with better job offers, and, then, from Thailand sold them to a Myanmar scam centre.

The scam centre authorities coerced the erstwhile Middle East expatriates into committing cybercrimes. If anyone refused, different means of torture, including electric shocks, were applied on them.

Notably, law enforcers arrested Iftekharul Islam Rony, the Bangladesh kingpin of the human trafficking racket, from the Chattogram international airport on 18 January. He is accused in eight cases.

According to police and BRAC sources, following requests by the victims’ families, BRAC contacted relevant government agencies to free and repatriate the abducted Bangladeshis from Myanmar scam centre.

BRAC Associate Director Shariful Islam Hasan said the non-profit contacted Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry, CID and Bangladeshi embassy in Thailand to help rescue the abductees.

One named managed to flee back to Thailand and contacted authorities to secure the release of others. This escapee reportedly managed to flee while undergoing treatment at a hospital for injuries sustained during torture at the scam centre.

CID Additional Superintendent Mostafizur Rahman lauded the efforts of BRAC, claiming the organisation worked with law enforcers and other government officials throughout the repatriation process.

Fake advertisements are being spread through various websites, e-mail accounts, Facebook pages-proflies, WhatsApp, Telegram to recruit people for lucrative jobs in Southeast Asian countries. The aspirants are then skillfully lured into scam centres spread across the region, and forced into committing major cybercrimes.

The Bangladesh government has already issued warnings against taking up employment in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.