Pakistan, Cambodia agree to repatriate 54 nationals detained in fraud raids

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOF) said on Tuesday that the government and Cambodia have formally agreed to repatriate 54 Pakistani nationals detained in Siem Reap province following their arrest in a raid on a fraud complex.

Reports indicate that over 200 Pakistani nationals are currently in custody in Cambodia. They were allegedly lured by deceptive means and later trafficked into illegal operations run by criminal networks. Following a crackdown by the Cambodian authorities, they were arrested and remain detained in difficult conditions.

In a statement on his X account, FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the Pakistani embassy in Cambodia had been actively pursuing the matter with the Cambodian government.

“This is in line with the instructions of the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister to all Pakistan missions that facilitation of the Pakistani community abroad is a top priority,” the statement said.

“Our embassy staff is taking steps to ensure the welfare of the detained Pakistanis,” the statement added, noting that the detainees would leave Cambodia once flight arrangements were completed.

It further said that, as a gesture of goodwill, the Cambodian authorities had agreed to repatriate all detainees without prosecution under the “Anti-Online Fraud Law”, which came into effect on April 7 and carried significant prison sentences and large fines.

A multibillion-dollar fraud industry has grown in Cambodia in recent years, with thousands of people involved – some voluntarily and others coerced by organized crime groups, according to experts.

According to Amnesty International, the Cambodian government is deliberately ignoring widespread human rights abuses, including slavery, human trafficking, child labor and torture, carried out by criminal gangs across more than 50 fraud areas in the country.

In its 240-page report last year, Amnesty said it interviewed more than 50 survivors from different countries and identified at least 53 fraud links in Cambodia.

“Amnesty’s research reveals the horrifying scale of a crisis that the Cambodian authorities are not doing enough to stop. Their failures have fueled a criminal network whose tentacles extend internationally, with millions of people affected by fraud,” the report said.

Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department singled out Kok An — a Cambodian senator who controls fraud links across the country — and 28 individuals and entities in his network for defrauding Americans.