Two Bangladeshi men who were allegedly trafficking illegal workers to Malaysia were arrested in Thailand.

The unidentified foreigners, aged 46 and 47, were taken into custody by police in Pattani province after being served an arrest warrant, said authorities on January 18.

The 46-year-old Bangladeshi was found by police to have been allegedly operating an import company which transports illegal workers across Southeast Asian borders and collects from them fees ranging from 100,000 baht (2,165.48 GBP) to 150,000 baht (3,248.22).

His 47-year-old compatriot allegedly aided in taking the workers from the Cambodian border in Sa Kaeo province and travelled by land to the capital city of Bangkok.

They would then travel to Songkhla province and guide them through Narathiwat province's border to enter Malaysia.

Police Lieutenant General Ittipol Ittisarnronnachai, commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, said in a press conference on January 18 that the network's financial operations reached 117 million baht (2,533,612.40 GBP).

He said: ‘The arrest came after the authorities' success in apprehending 41 illegal Bangladeshi workers in five separate cases spanning from January to March of the previous year, across different locations.

'Subsequent investigations resulted in the arrest of ten additional suspects, comprising eight Thai nationals, another Bangladeshi, and a Pakistani.'