‘Could be our last call’: 2 Indians lured to Bangkok with ‘Chinese’ offer, now trapped ‘in Myanmar’

Meem. Ye. Alif. Meem. Alif. Re. 

Stitched together, these letters of the Urdu alphabet don’t mean anything. But to an anxious family who muttered these on a phone call on Thursday morning, they were their best bet to confirm the location of their abducted 31-year-old son, from their home in Prayagraj’s Dariyabad. And as the voice on the other side said “yes”, Zia Panjatan’s family knew where he was. Myanmar.

Zia is among two Indians who had recently lost their job in Dubai, were lured to Thailand’s Bangkok on the pretext of a job offer from a “Chinese firm”, and then abducted and taken to an unknown location, suspectedly in Myanmar, where they have been held hostage for at least Rs 20 lakh in ransom for around two weeks. The second Indian is identified as Mohammad Arif, a 29-year-old from Barabanki who had lost his job at an accounting firm in Dubai months ago.

The Indian embassy in Myanmar has promised strict action but added that it could be another such case from Myaweddy, which is not under the control of the Myanmarese government and is controlled by armed groups. In 2022, a Myanmar gang had held over 300 Indians hostage in the region.

An embassy staffer privy to the case, from the Indian mission in Thailand, claimed the only information they have about Zia and Arif is through their families so far, and that the case could be from Myaweddy. 

The two families told Newslaundry that three other Indians were trapped along with Zia and Arif. Their details could not be ascertained.

The calls to families in both cases are being made through the phone numbers of Zia and Arif. While Zia’s family has been told to transfer money to an account in Kerala, Arif’s family has been told to send the ransom amount to an Ethiopian bank account.

A helpless former cop

Zia’s father Aale Panjatan says the Attarsuiya police station has refused to file an FIR in the case despite his repeated attempts. Panjatan worked as a constable at the same police station for over three years before his retirement from the force.

Attarsuiya police inspector Sanjay Dwivedi said a case could not be lodged since Zia didn’t come to the area before he went to Myanmar from Dubai.

Zia’s brother Waqar claims the family has reached out to consular offices in India, Thailand and Myanmar and have been assured of cooperation. 

His sister Kaniz said Zia was working at the Commercial Bank of Dubai for the last three years but was desperate for work after losing his job four months ago. He told the family about the “Chinese” job on July 10, after which he took a flight to Bangkok. He was apparently excited about the position, and stayed at a hotel for a day. On the morning of July 12, he left for a long drive, and the next day, he told his family he didn’t know where he was. His phone remained off for the next 10 days, the family said. 

Then came the ransom call on July 22, asking for Rs 22 lakh, Zia crying in the background. In an audio clip from July 23 reviewed by Newslaundry, a woman is heard asking the family for Rs 1 lakh as “company policy”. The family tried to convince the woman citing their financial background, but she remained firm on the deal.

The next day, Zia called the family, asking if the amount was arranged, saying that it could be “our last call”. 

Family: Are you mad… why last?

Zia: If you don’t give anything, what will these people do?...arrange for Rs 2.5 lakh by tomorrow.

Zia spoke to the family again the next day, when they confirmed his location. 

Flight tickets from Dubai, ‘strange job on video’    

Arif’s case is similar. His family in Kenhaura Aliabad in Barabanki district is being called for a ransom amount of Rs 20 lakh.

Arif’s brother Mohammad Nasir said the “Chinese” company had even arranged for his flight ticket to Bangkok and offered him around 1,200 dollars per month as salary. Same as Zia’s case, Arif’s family last spoke to him on July 13, before the call for help on July 22.

Arif told the family that the kidnapper had asked for Rs 20 lakh. He made the same demand the next day. He said he was being beaten by the kidnappers and forced to do “strange work on video”.

When his family asked if the kidnapper would let him go after the ransom money is paid, Arif apparently said, “Yes, they’ll give the passport and everything; will drop at the airport. Those who pay, they let go. Those who don’t, they beat them up.”

Nasir claimed he had informed the local police but no FIR was filed.

Last week, eight Indian victims of a job scam were rescued from the Myaweddy region and brought home.

It came days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had taken up the issue with his Myanmar counterpart U Than Shwe on the sidelines of a session of the foreign ministers of BIMSTEC member nations in Delhi.

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