Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury. File photo

DHAKA, May 21, 2026 (BSS) - A helpless Bangladeshi woman who escaped from a scam centre in Cambodia will return home with government support following the intervention of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury.

The government has also recovered the passports of seven Bangladeshi workers in Iraq after allegations that the documents had been withheld by a company, an official release said today.

According to embassy sources, the 34-year-old woman travelled to Cambodia in August 2025 through a travel agency after being promised a high-paying computer-related job. 

After arriving there, her passport was allegedly taken away and she was forced to work at a scam centre involved in online financial fraud.

After several failed attempts, she escaped on May 20 and later contacted the minister directly via WhatsApp seeking help to return home.

Following the minister's directive, Bangladesh Embassy officials in Bangkok, with assistance from the Bangladeshi community in Phnom Penh, rescued the woman and arranged temporary shelter for her.

Embassy officials said efforts are underway with the cooperation of Cambodian authorities to issue travel documents, and she is expected to return home within a week.

Meanwhile, seven Bangladeshi workers in Iraq recovered their passports through the intervention of the Bangladesh Embassy there.

The workers later expressed willingness to continue working in Iraq after getting their passports back.