Was forced to commit online fraud and take drugs, claims Kozhikode man who fled Laos

“I feel lucky that I got my life back… I had to endure severe torture at the hands of the mafia gang. No one should ever go through such a bad experience again,” said a Kozhikode resident, who was held in Laos as a victim of an online job posting scam. The 28-year-old, who managed to escape during a raid, is still gripped by fear of the bitter experience he had in the Southeast Asian country. (For security reasons, his identity cannot be disclosed)

The next day he came home to Kozhikode. He had been recruited for a data entry job in Laos through the Kozhikode branch of a travel agency in Bengaluru. He was in touch with a resident of Kundayithode in Kozhikode.

He arrived in Bangkok on August 4 and then travelled to Vientiane, Laos. Malayalis Muhammad Ashiq and Shaheed were the middlemen in Laos. The call centre was located in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, which is notorious for online scams. He claimed that a mafia gang forced him to commit online financial fraud by speaking Malayalam.

“The centre operated under the name Game Zone. Although there was no physical harm, there was a serious threat. I was forced to use drugs, including cannabis,” said the man, who stayed there for 15 days.

He said the raid that helped him escape was accidental. “During the raid, I left the centre with my passport. Then somehow an attempt was made to reach home. I contacted the office of Minister Suresh Gopi for help. Timely intervention from there helped me reach home safely. I don’t know how thankful I should be to Mr Suresh Gopi and his team for this second life,” he said.

The man added that many Malayalis are still stuck in Laos as victims of scams. NIA officials have been collecting information about the incidents. Kozhikode rural police have also launched an investigation.