The Foreign Office (FO) said on Tuesday that the government and Cambodia had formally agreed to repatriate 54 Pakistani nationals detained in Siem Reap province, following their arrest in a raid on a scamming compound.

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

In a statement posted on his X account, FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the Pakistan Embassy in Cambodia had actively pursued the matter with the Cambodian government.

“This is in line with the instructions of the deputy prime minister/foreign minister to all Pakistan’s Missions that facilitating the Pakistani community abroad is a top priority,” the statement said.

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

It further said that, as a goodwill gesture, Cambodian authorities had agreed to repatriate all detainees without legal proceedings against them under the “Law on Combatting Online Scams”, which came into effect on April 7 and carried significant prison sentences and hefty fines.

A multibillion-dollar scam industry has expanded in Cambodia in recent years, with thousands of people involved — some voluntarily and others coerced by organised criminal groups, according to experts.

According to Amnesty International, the Cambodian government is deliberately ignoring widespread human rights abuses, including slavery, human trafficking, child labour and torture, being carried out by criminal gangs across more than 50 scamming compounds 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 scamming compounds in Cambodia.

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

Last week, the United States Treasury Department designated Kok An — a Cambodian senator who controls scam compounds across the country — as well as 28 individuals and entities in his network for defrauding Americans.