At least 20 Indians were forced into slavery in Myanmar after they were lured in promised for giving jobs in Thailand. The family of labourers are now seeking help from the Ministry of external affairs (MEA) for their rescue.
According to the Times of India report, the family said that they have jointly discussed it with Pradeep Chaudhary, the BJP MP from Kairana, who has, in turn, written to External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Dr. Jaishankar.
Videos recorded by one of the workers went viral on social media, in which they were requesting to rescue them from Myanmar. In a chilling sequence, one of them says "a person has died, and a girl is battling severe head injuries".
A Dubai based agent said to be lured the workers, are now being held "captive in Myanmar, where they are badly exploited every day". Videos shared by Kuldeep Kumar, one of the "captives", said they are suffering and displaying injuries inflicted on his fellow workers, pleading for intervention from the Indian government. He warned they might resort to desperate measures if help does not arrive soon.
"Our families have approached MEA but have received no assistance as yet despite our videos being shared widely on social media. One man has already died here, and they also have a girl (with them) who has suffered head injuries because of thrashing. We could be next. They will either kill us, or we will have to take drastic steps," said Kuldeep in an 83-second video.
Kuldeep said, "We are forced to work 18 hours a day and given only two bowls of rice. If we refuse to comply, we are beaten and forced to run 10km as punishment. We desperately urge MEA to rescue us." His brother Rahul Kumar told TOI, "Kuldeep secretly recorded these videos with a hidden phone. He left Saharanpur on April 22, travelling then from Delhi to Bangkok. From there, he was taken to Mae Sot airport, a stone's throw from the border, blindfolded and taken to a forest in Myanmar. They were forced into slavery and made to work in an online fraud operation."
He further said, "My brother along with others were taken in vehicles that moved continuously for almost 5-6 hours giving them the impression that the site of their captivity was about a hundred km from the airport. But it was Myawaddy, which is just 5 km from Mae Sot airport but inside Myanmar. Now the company in Myanmar that has them in captivity says they have bought the Indians for USD 7,500 each."
"MEA officials informed me that they have some leads from the Indian embassy in Myanmar and are planning a rescue operation. We will soon have them back," said BJP MP Pradeep Chaudhary.