Stranded in Myanmar, Hyderabad man seeks help after being trafficked

A 36-year-old man from Hyderabad, stranded in Myanmar, after allegedly being trafficked there, issued an appeal for help.

Shaik Ashraf, a resident of Langar Houz, stated that he was being forced to work in an online scam operation in Myanmar. The ordeal, brought to light by Majlis Bachao Tahreek (MBT) leader Amjed Ullah Khan, began when Mr. Ashraf went to Dubai in search of employment. When he was unable to find a job there, he was allegedly lured by the promise of an IT job in Thailand by a travel agent but found himself a victim and being coerced into working for a scam centre.

Mr. Khan wrote to Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar and sought his intervention and urged that he be rescued at the earliest.

Providing more details, Mr. Khan stated that the travel agency which had lured the victim then offered him an opportunity in Thailand, which he accepted. After Mr. Ashraf reached Thailand, he was received by a counterpart of the agency. From there, he was transported by boat to Myanmar where he was forced to work and was also being threatened. A desperate Ashraf, who has been dealing with health issues, with great difficulty managed to call his family and narrated what had happened to him. He urged that the Indian government rescue him.

The Indian Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar, responded to Mr. Khan’s post on X (formerly Twitter), stating that cases of Indian nationals trapped in scam centres are being pursued. The embassy highlighted that 81 victims had been released since July 2024, and asked for the geo-location of Shaik Ashraf to facilitate further action.

Published - November 17, 2024 06:57 pm IST