Now, they want to return home.

Fifty Bangladeshi workers, who were promised work at an electronics company for RM650 a month, are now taking refuge at the Bangladesh High Commission.

They sold property and took loans to pay the RM10,000 fee to come to Malaysia.

Upon arrival in March 2007, they were housed in an office lot for four months in deplorable conditions.

They were then sent to a factory and paid RM50 for 23 days of work. Some were then taken to an engineering company while others were given jobs as cleaners in housing estates.

When they made an enquiry at the Immigration Department, they found that their work permit was not in the "system".

They stopped working as they were afraid the work permits they had were forged documents.

All they want to do is go home but their passports are with their employer.

They have tickets to return home on Aug 1 and the High Commission has issued them temporary travel documents. But they still need clearance from the Immigration Department.

"We came here because we heard there were jobs with good salaries here.

"We came here to help our families out.

"Please let us go home," pleaded one of the workers, Robel, 23.