Trafficked and tortured in Myanmar, Hyderabad man languishes in Thailand jail; family seeks MEA help

Mangalore Today News Network

Hyderabad, February 6, 2025: The family of a 36-year-old man from Hyderabad has requested the Ministry of External Affairs to help bring back their kin, who is currently lodged in a jail in Thailand, after allegedly being trafficked to Myanmar.

Shaik Ashraf was arrested by the Thailand Police and jailed after entering the Southeast Asian nation from Myanmar, where he was "trafficked" to indulge in online scam operations, his family claimed.

In a letter addressed to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday, through Majlis Bachao Tahreek (MBT) spokesperson Amjed Ullah Khan, Shaik Ashraf’s family appealed to the minister to rescue him and ensure his repatriation.

The family stated that Ashraf went to Dubai in August 2023 but was unable to find a job there. He was lured by a Chinese travel agency that promised him a job in an IT company in Thailand.

In August 2024, he travelled to Bangkok from Dubai, where he was received by an agent. He was then taken by another agent to an unknown location in Myanmar and forced to do "online" scam work at a company as part of the job, his family said.

Ashraf was ’tortured’ and given electric shocks by his captors when he refused to participate in the scam. The company demanded $5,000 for his release, according to the family.

The MBT leader said he had written to the Indian Embassies in Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia in November 2024 seeking Ashraf’s rescue.

Ashraf’s wife took out a loan and sent $3,400 to the company, after which he was released. However, upon entering Thailand from Myanmar, he was arrested by Thailand Police and jailed.

"After six months, he was trapped, and after three months of my complaint, we received an email from the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, stating that Shaik Ashraf is in the custody of Thailand Police and that no assurance has been given regarding his rescue. Kindly ask the Indian Embassy in Thailand to rescue him and bring him back home as soon as possible," the MBT leader said, in the letter.