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Crime graphic.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) will investigate a human trafficking case after 23 South Africans trafficked to Thailand were rescued and brought back home.
The group has returned to the country from Myanmar with the assistance of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and the Border Management Authority.
They were allegedly conned by an employment agency that promised them jobs and free accommodation.
DIRCO says the 23 South Africans are some of the 700 people from various countries who were allegedly lured through social media posts by a company posing as an employment agency.
Instead of getting the jobs they were promised, they allegedly endured physical torture and forced labour after being transported to Myanmar against their will.
The traffickers also demanded a R50 000 bounty for their release.
The department says the victims will now undergo health checks while the investigations into the matter continue.
