Sajid Raina
Baramulla, Apr 18: A youth from Pattan area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, lured by the promise of a job in Thailand, now finds himself imprisoned and abused near the Golden Triangle border, his family desperately pleaded for his rescue Friday.
Sameer Ahmad Bhat, son of Gulam Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Pattan, has been trapped in a scam network in Southeast Asia after being lured abroad with a job offer.
The family said that Sameer left home five months ago after being promised work in Thailand by a local consultant. He paid Rs 1.2 lakh to secure the job.
According to his family, Sameer was excited about the opportunity and had hoped to support them financially. However, soon after landing in Thailand, he was transferred from one company to another without receiving any salary.
His current location is believed to be somewhere near the Golden Triangle, a remote and mountainous area where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet.
The family said he is now imprisoned and subjected to daily abuse and torture. “He has been forced to contact his family to ask for more money,” the brother of the victim said, adding that he is being threatened and pressured to lure more people from Kashmir into similar job traps.
“He called us crying. He said they beat him and don’t give him food. They are forcing him to work in online scams,” said his father, Ghulam Ahmad Bhat. “He told us they want him to bring more boys from Kashmir. If he refuses, they torture him.”
Sameer’s mother said the family is living in fear. “He told me they are treating him like a slave. He begged us to save him,” she said. “We are a poor family. We don’t have more money to send. We just want him back.”
The family said they have filed a complaint with the local police station against the consultant who arranged his travel.
The family appealed to the Jammu and Kashmir government and the Indian Embassy in Thailand to intervene and ensure his safe return. “We want the government to help us. He went there to work, not to suffer. Please bring him back,” his father said.
The family also warned others in Kashmir to be cautious about such job offers and to verify opportunities through official channels.
Since last week, several reports have highlighted the growing crisis of Kashmiri youth being trafficked under the guise of overseas job offers.
While earlier investigations focused on young men being lured to Saudi Arabia and left without pay or legal protection, a new pattern has emerged: many are now being trafficked to countries like Thailand under similar false job promises, only to end up trapped in exploitative or even criminal setups.
