‘Abducted’ in Thailand, Ghazipur resident trafficked to Myanmar; family seeks help

Lucknow: A Ghazipur resident, working as a restaurant manager in Thailand, was allegedly abducted by unknown men under the pretext of a new job offer and forcefully taken to Myanmar. According to the victim’s family, they have sent a letter to the Bangkok Embassy via email. They will also notify the Ghazipur district magistrate. The victim, Pradeep Kushwaha (34), had left India on January 10 for a job in Chiang Mai, Thailand, as a restaurant manager.His wife Priyanka and their two children, aged eight and five, are back home in India.
Santosh Kushwaha, the victim’s brother-in-law, said that Pradeep has been missing since May 14, 2024, from Chiang Mai. “He was working at ‘Chai N Thai @ Nimman’. His employer was a man who went by the name ‘JK’. On May 14, Pradeep, who intended to switch to a different job, left his place with all belongings to go to the new employer, Varun Thakur, whom he was supposed to join at Mae Sot, Thailand. When I asked Thakur about his whereabouts, he claimed that Pradeep never came to his place but switched to another van on the way. However, Thakur failed to provide cab details, van number, or driver number, leading me to suspect him,” said Santosh in his email to the embassy.
“Another person, Shiva, who claimed that he was a colleague of Pradeep at ‘Chai N Thai @ Nimman’, told Santosh that someone had called him from Pradeep’s mobile number and asked for ransom money amounting to US $8,000,” wrote Santosh in his email, adding that his brother-in-law has probably been trafficked, seeking immediate action from the authorities. Meanwhile, victim’s brother Rajkumar also told TOI that Pradeep has been illegally and forcefully trafficked to Myanmar and that he is in touch with his brother via phone calls. “He told me over a video call that he has been bonded there and is compelled to work in a call centre. He even shared the location with us, which shows the location close to immigrant centres in Myanmar.” Suspecting foul play, Rajkumar added, “The place where he is working is run by a ‘self-declared’ army formed by Myanmar-based extremists.” tnn