Baramulla Youth Trapped in Thailand Job Scam; Family Seeks Urgent Help
SRINAGAR: A young man from the Pattan region in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, enticed by a job offer in Thailand, has ended up detained and mistreated near the Golden Triangle border, prompting his family to make a heartfelt appeal for his urgent rescue on Friday.
Sameer Ahmad Bhat, son of Ghulam Ahmad Bhat and a resident of Pattan, has fallen victim to a scam in Southeast Asia after being misled by a fraudulent overseas job offer.
His family said Sameer left for Thailand five months ago after a local agent assured him of employment there. He paid Rs 1.2 lakh to secure the position.
They added that Sameer had high hopes of financially supporting his family through this opportunity. However, soon after arriving in Thailand, he was moved from one company to another without being paid any salary.
His current location is believed to be near the Golden Triangle—a remote and mountainous region 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 us and ask for more money,” his brother said, adding that he is also being 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.
They have also 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 urged 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. (KNO)
