Twenty-one Nepali citizens, who were taken to Cambodia and forced into illegal work, have been repatriated to Nepal, officials said. They landed in their home country on Friday.

The repatriation took place on the initiative of the Embassy of Nepal in Bangkok and the Non-Resident Nepali Association in Cambodia, and with the support of the Cambodian government.

According to the embassy, the victims had travelled to Cambodia through various channels after being lured by an organised group of individuals, promising lucrative jobs. They were forced to work in illegally operated online scam centres and casinos, and were also staying without valid visas.

The embassy said efforts were underway to rescue other stranded Nepalis in Cambodia. It said that many Nepali citizens have been taken to the country and forced into illegal activities, including online fraud, while some have overstayed their visas.

The embassy said companies and individuals who forced Nepali citizens into such operations often confiscate the victims’ passports.

For facilitation, the embassy urged stranded Nepalis to contact the mission to obtain free travel permits to return home.

On January 28, Cambodian National Police raided a casino complex in Bavet city as part of a crackdown on online fraud, detaining more than 2,000 foreign nationals, including Nepalis.

The raid was conducted in coordination with prosecutors from the first court of Svay Rieng Province. Authorities suspected online scam operations were being run from 22 buildings inside the complex.

Thirty Nepalis were reported among those detained from the raid. Of them, 21 were repatriated to Nepal on Friday.

According to a statement issued by the embassy, Cambodian tourism statistics show that the number of Nepalis travelling to Cambodia on tourist visas has increased sharply in recent years—from 101 in 2021 to 1,977 in 2022, 2,940 in 2023, 6,404 in 2024, and 9,676 in 2025.

The embassy urged Nepalis to obtain labour approval from the government before leaving for foreign employment and warned against travelling to countries such as Laos, Myanmar and Thailand on tourist visas for work after being lured by promises of quick earnings.