A 32-year-old went through a horrific ordeal after being tricked into taking a job in Cambodia by a syndicate promising a hotel job with an RM5,000 salary and even providing flight tickets.
His mom, Sal, 56, from Putrajaya, shared that her son first followed a friend to Sarawak on July 31, where he told her he wanted to make a passport because his friend had invited him to work abroad.
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“My heart broke seeing him in such a state”
In a press conference, Sal shared that on August 20, her son called to let her know he had travelled alone to Cambodia. There, he was picked up by a man in a luxury car and taken to a location in Khao Thum.
Over the phone, her son often told her about being beaten and electrocuted because he refused to follow the syndicate’s orders to commit online fraud.
He was forced to eat pork and rats
Sal explained that her son, a former security guard, was even forced to eat pork and rats by the syndicate whenever he failed to meet their “targets.”
“I convinced him to make a video call, and he showed me the injuries he suffered. He told me he just couldn’t bring himself to deceive people, which is why he kept missing the targets,” she said.
On December 16, her son shared that he had been severely beaten again, and the syndicate demanded RM12,000 for his release before December 31.
Worried for his safety, Sal filed a police report at the Kajang Police Station on December 15.
“They hit my son with the back of a pistol”
In another similar case, a 36-year-old mom named Rong shared that her 19-year-old son flew to Bangkok from Senai, Johor, on December 8 after being promised a job.
When he got to Bangkok, he was tricked and taken to the Thailand border, where he was forced to cross into Myanmar by men in military uniforms. One of them even hit him with the back of a pistol.
“My son tried calling me through Facebook, but I couldn’t reply because I don’t have an account. Thankfully, he managed to contact a friend in Johor Bahru and explain what happened,” she said.
Rong said her family filed a police report at the Skudai Police Station on December 9.
MHO Secretary-General Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim said they have been in touch with several agencies in the countries involved to assist in rescuing both victims and others still trapped in similar situations.
Also read: Job Scam Syndicates Applying New Tactics to Lure Victims, 7 M’sians Currently Trapped in Myanmar
