From Bypassing Immigration at Thailand’s Pattaya Airport to Trafficking Hell in Scam Industry: Mahmud’s Story
Introduction to the Survivor:
Mahmud (pseudonym) is a 25-year-old Pakistani who was born and raised in a lower-middle-class family. He completed school and college and was looking for a job opportunity to support his family. However, he couldn't find a suitable job in Pakistan, so he decided to migrate. One day, his father told him that his friend's son, Ahmed, had come home on holiday from abroad; he works abroad and earns good money. Mahmud's father suggested he meet Ahmed to inquire about job opportunities overseas. When Mahmud met Ahmed and asked if he could help him secure employment abroad, Ahmed the broker agreed and offered him a call centre job in Thailand, near Pattaya Beach, with a monthly salary of $1,000.
Why Mahmud Accepted the Job Offer:
Mahmud thought this as a great opportunity because most Pakistani migrants go to the UAE or other Middle Eastern countries, where they usually earn only $300–$400 by doing hard labour in construction companies. However, this job in Thailand promised a modern office environment with good facilities and a much higher salary. For young people from middle and lower-middle-class families who have grown up making sacrifices, such an opportunity seemed like a dream come true. With hopes of securing a better future, Mahmud decided to go to Thailand for the call centre job.
How Mahmud Discovered He Was in a Scamming Compound:
On October 9th 2024, Mahmud arrived in Thailand with a tourist visa. Ahmed the broker manipulated him by taking advantage of his lack of knowledge about safe migration and his urgency to find a job. In this region, it is common for people to migrate with minimal understanding of safe migration procedures. They trust brokers, who, in turn, betray them for financial gain. As a result, victims fall into the hands of traffickers and suffer horrible experiences.
Mahmud arrived in Thailand at Pattaya International Airport at 9 pm. Upon arrival at immigration, an officer approached him, grabbed his arm, and escorted him to an office, requesting his passport. Mahmud handed over his passport; the officer left, returned with an immigration stamp on it, then again took him by the arm, placed him in a car, and locked the door. Mahmud was shocked and speechless, unable to comprehend what was happening. Inside the car, he met a Thai driver and another Thai person who told him he would take him to the company. After 10–15 minutes, the immigration officer returned, took him out of the car and asked Mahmud to identify his bag, which was then brought to the car. Meanwhile, Mahmud realised that he was not being treated like the others and that he was locked in the car, which made him feel that something was wrong. But didn't know what to do, and he couldn't escape because the car door was locked.
Mahmud’s broker told him that a hotel about 8.5 km from Pattaya Airport was booked for him, and he was told that he had to stay there for 10 days. But the driver drove for four hours before asking him to call his family. The driver told him to speak to them for the last time, not to share anything about the company, and to simply tell them that he had arrived safely. When the driver instructed him to make the call, he threatened him with a weapon and opened a translator app so he could monitor what Mahmud was saying.
Mahmud called his family via video call and then contacted his cousin via audio call. He explained his situation in Punjabi, and fortunately, the translator did not support Punjabi, so the driver could not understand what he was saying. Mahmud’s cousin advised him to escape as soon as possible.
Mahmud then told the driver that he was hungry and wanted something to eat. The driver stopped in front of a supershop and went there to buy some food for him. He thought he had a chance to run away, but he did not notice that a second man in the car was watching him. As soon as he started running, the second man struck him on the back of the head with an object, causing him to fall to the ground. They then sprayed something on his face, and he suddenly felt paralysed. He could still see and hear everything but was completely unable to move or talk.
At around 4:45 am local time, Mahmud regained the ability to move and found himself inside the car with the driver, but the second man who had attacked him was gone. When he asked the driver where they were, the driver replied that they were in Mae Sot. After that, Mahmud was forced to cross the Thai-Myanmar border, experiencing a fate similar to many other victims of human trafficking.
On the morning of October 10th, Mahmud found himself in a compound filled with young people from different nationalities. A Chinese-speaking boss brought him to an office, and they began their life inside the compound, like hundreds of other victims trapped in similar situations.
Mahmud’s Life in the Scamming Compound:
The company where Mahmud was forced to work was called Zhongfa. He and others were made to carry out online scams. Mahmud was not skilled at the tasks assigned to him and, like many others, struggled to meet the impossible daily targets. As a result, he faced severe punishments, including beatings and electric shocks.
On October 18th, a Chinese boss gave Mahmud an electric shock for nearly 10 minutes, after which Mahmud suffered a heart attack. The boss then instructed a translator to take him to the hospital, and the translator asked Aryan to help. Mahmud was vomiting blood and was close to death when Aryan and the translator took him to a small clinic at 11 PM. Aryan later managed to escape by swimming across the Moei River, and Mahmud’s condition improved slightly.
However, the Chinese-speaking boss wanted to torture Mahmud even more, blaming him for Aryan’s escape. Since Mahmud was unconscious, they did not torture him immediately but allowed him to rest for three days. Once he started recovering, they locked him in a dark room and tortured him in inhumane ways. They tied his hands with a rope, took off his shirt, poured boiling water on him, and beat him with belts and sticks. According to Mahmud, not only did the Chinese bosses torture victims in the dark room, but the security guards, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), were also involved in the abuse.
After enduring days of torture, Mahmud was given another brief period of rest, during which he managed to contact his family. He told them about his situation, and his family put immense pressure on the broker in Pakistan to bring him back at any cost. Due to this pressure, the broker was able to arrange for Mahmud’s release. It remains unclear whether the broker or family paid a ransom or replaced Mahmud with another victim.
On November 17th when Mahmud was being transported from the compound to Mae Sot, the car driver took him to a few locations near the Myanmar border and told him, "These are the places where the bosses kill victims like you and harvest their organs." The driver then warned him, "If you talk about what happened to you after returning to Thailand, we can bring you back at any time, and the consequences will be severe. If you tell anyone, the boss will have you killed and your organs removed. So be careful." Mahmud was scared at the beginning but he understood it was just compound bluffing, and after returning home he felt safe and decided to speak up.
What Mahmud is Doing Now:
After returning home, Mahmud started speaking to the media and sharing his horrific experiences. He is now advocating for other Pakistani and international victims trapped in these compounds. However, Mahmud lacks the resources to help more people. Neither Mahmud nor Aryan nor even any government or powerful organisation alone can rescue the thousands of victims suffering in these compounds. This is an organised transnational crime that affects the entire world in different ways.
To combat this transnational organised crime, global collaboration and collective action are needed. Governments, law enforcement agencies, international NGOs, rescue organisations, and survivors must all work together to stop this crime.