BANGKOK:- Twelve Nepalis who were lured into online scams and casinos in Cambodia have been rescued.
They were rescued and repatriated with the initiative of the Nepali Embassy in Bangkok, the support of the Cambodian government, and the facilitation of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) Cambodia.
According to a press release issued by the embassy on Monday, they were lured to Cambodia by human traffickers and forced to work in illegally run online scamming centers, casinos and other illegal activities.
The Nepalis, who were staying without a visa (overstay), flew from Cambodia on Chaitra 16 and landed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on Monday. The embassy said that efforts are being made to rescue other stranded Nepalis.
According to the embassy, there are still reports of many Nepalis being illegally employed in Cambodia and stranded after their visas have expired.
The embassy has reported widespread complaints that scamming centers confiscate the passports of Nepali workers or lose them during transfers.
In such a situation, the embassy has made arrangements to issue a ‘one-way travel document’ free of charge to Nepalis who want to return home.
Recently, the number of Nepalis traveling to Cambodia on visit visas has increased dramatically. According to Cambodia’s tourism statistics, a total of 101 Nepalis arrived there in 2021, while 1,977 Nepalis arrived in 2022, 2,940 in 2023, 6,404 in 2024, and 9,676 in 2025.
Most Nepalis who go on the pretext of tourism have fallen prey to illegal employment and fraud gangs. The embassy has urged people not to go to countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand on tourist visas for employment, in the hope of earning a lot of money quickly.