Thai police rescue two Japanese men believed to have been forced into fraud

Bangkok – Thai police have taken two Japanese men in their 20s into protective custody in the western Thai province of Kanchanaburi, which borders Myanmar.

The Japanese nationals, who are believed to have been forced to take part in fraud at a base in Myanmar, were rescued Wednesday, according to the police. There may be some other Japanese nationals at the fraud base, informed sources said.

The two men traveled to Thailand after seeing a social media ad on a high-paying job and were then handed over to a fraud group through a broker, the police said.

At the base, they are believed to have been ordered to make scam phone calls to older people in Japan by pretending to be police officers. They were told they would see their relatives harmed if they refuse to follow the order, according to the police.

The two men are seen to have stayed at the fraud base for about 20 days.

The Thai police and the Japanese Embassy in Bangkok worked together to rescue the Japanese men after they asked relatives for help via telephone. The police did not disclose how the two men fled to Thailand from Myanmar.

The police are investigating details of the case, believing that the two men are victims of human trafficking.