An Isle of Man advocate has shed light on the human dimension of the global human trafficking crisis.

Maria Bridson, senior advocate at BridsonHalsall Advocates, received a standing ovation for her talk on the issue in Douglas last week.

Around 165 people who attended the event organised by the Association of Corporate Service Providers and the Alliance of Isle of Man Compliance Professionals heard Maria recount the story of Ahmed, an engineering graduate from Pakistan who became trapped in the infamous KK scam compound in Myanmar.

His ordeal has been verified by a non-government organisation, she said.

Ahmed had become the main breadwinner when his father became ill and when a friend showed him an online advert for a fantastic job paying $2,500 - far more than he could possibly earn in Pakistan - he seized the opportunity.

He passed a very professional on-line interview with flying colours, paid a fee to a middleman and was soon on a flight to Dubai. There he spent a week doing various tests including English and was then offered an apparent promotion at the sister company in Thailand.

Delighted, he jumped at the chance and before long he was on a plane to Bangkok along with other new recruits. On arrival, a man took the group’s passports, saying he would handle all the immigration issues. They set off in a minibus.

The long journey north ended abruptly in a remote riverbank location in the dark. On the far side of the river was what looked like a glittering city lit by neon lights.

What Ahmed didn’t know was that it was the notorious KK scam park in Myanmar.

The door of the minibus was thrown open and a group of heavily armed men pulled them out and pushed them into a waiting boat where his nightmare started.

Ahmed was taken across the River Moei into Myanmar and escorted to a fortified office block with rows of desks with computers, phones and scripts.

The man next to Ahmed protested he was tired - only for him to be hanged by the wrists from the ceiling and beaten unconscious with a metal bar.

Ahmed worked relentlessly for 12-14 hours a day, finding targets online, creating fake profiles and passing details to his manager who used sophisticated techniques to coax victims’ life savings away. He was often denied food, water and rest.

He eventually escaped but was held in detention in Myanmar for six months until his family were able to arrange his return to Pakistan.