Three Nepali women who fell victim to human trafficking returned home this month after having to work illegally in Laos for three months.
The Nepali women aged between 19 and 22 years old were reportedly tricked by two Chinese nationals who had been living in Nepal disguised as tourists and promised the young women well-paying jobs in Laos that could make them earn up to USD 1,000 to USD 1,500 working as cleaners in supermarkets and hotels.
The women had also paid NPR 400,000 (about USD 3030) to the scammers who convinced them that they were associated with a genuine company that was hiring manpower from foreign countries.
They arrived in Laos on 2 September only to find out in a few days that they had to work in call canters with computers and mobile phones luring Europeans, Americans and other foreigners into investing in illegal gambling and other digital financial transactions, including bitcoins.
Their passports and other important documents were also seized and when they initially refused to do the work, they were met with intense physical and mental torture.
After three months of intense struggle, the three women were able to seek help from other Nepali citizens living in Laos and returned home to their parents in December. The victims also did not receive any payment during their stay in the country.
Following their return, Kathmandu District Court issued an order of prison time for Chen Yang, 30, a permanent resident of Sichuan, China and Ruan Chaohong, 33, of Fujian in China until the court decided on a final verdict. The arrest took place after the three girls and their parents filed an FIR.
Chen Yang confessed during the arrest that he would act as a legal liaison pretending to look at overseas operations of a company from Kathmandu. He would trick women in rural districts like Sindhupalchowk and Arghakhanchi, and Chaohong to agree to come work in Laos and other countries where similar human trafficking scams are rampant.
