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Man from Malaysia tortured while being forced to work as phone scammer in Cambodia

A 25-year-old Malaysian man has shared harrowing details of his ordeal in Cambodia, where he was allegedly forced to become a phone scammer, tortured, and nearly shot for refusing to join the criminal operation.

Speaking to New Straits Times (NST) after his safe return to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 2 just past midnight on 12 July, the man — who remains anonymous for safety reasons — said he was only moments away from being relocated when Cambodian police raided the syndicate’s compound.

“I was tortured. Then I was sold to another company and almost shot by my boss. My friend was shot in the leg with live ammunition. They were about to move me when, just in time, Cambodian police raided the place,” he said

Lured by fake job promising S$6,400 salary

The victim, a former bodyguard from Jengka, Pahang, said he was recruited by a friend who promised a lucrative job in Cambodia offering USD5,000 (S$6,400) monthly.

Source: Canva. For illustrative purposes only.

But once he arrived, things took a dark turn. His passport and phone were confiscated, and he was forced into a call scam syndicate.

When he refused to scam others, he was violently punished and sold off to another group, where the abuse worsened.

Fiancée also fell victim, badly beaten & moved to another camp

The man also revealed that his fiancée had fallen into the same trap.

“My fiancée was beaten badly. She had bruises all over her body. No one could help us.”

He then lost all contact with her because she was reportedly moved to a different camp.

His 49-year-old mother, Anida Ponirin, said she was overwhelmed with relief to see her son again and thanked the authorities and Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) for their efforts.

The rescue was a joint operation between MHO, the Malaysian Embassy in Cambodia, and local police.

MHO’s Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim shared that the organisation had guided the victim’s mother to file a police report before working with the embassy and Cambodian authorities to rescue him.

He added that efforts to find the man’s fiancée are ongoing.

The victim warns fellow Malaysians to avoid falling for overseas job offers, especially those involving bodyguard roles or loans.

Also read: M’sian man falls victim to job scam in Cambodia, gets released due to lack of computer skills

M’sian man falls victim to job scam in Cambodia, gets released due to lack of computer skills

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