When Ajay Kumar Yadav from Siraha, Nepal, headed to Malaysia to begin a new job on Jan 30, he hoped it would be the start of a better life for those he left behind.

He hoped to quickly repay the loan he’d taken just to leave the country, so that he could marry off his two daughters and provide a good life for his wife and parents.

But it did not take long for all his plans to go up in smoke.

Like many others, Yadav was set up to fail by a system of dubious health check-ups and bogus medical reports.

Early in January, Ayaan Consultancy Services (ACS), a migrant worker consultancy in Kathmandu, called him to their office for...