Woman Seeks MEA’s Help to Bring Husband Back from Thailand Jail After Trafficking for Internet Scam

A woman from Hyderabad has asked the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to help bring her husband, Shaik Ashraf, back from a jail in Thailand. Ashraf, 36, was arrested by the Thai police after being trafficked into an internet scam by a company based in Myanmar.

In August 2023, Ashraf traveled to Dubai in search of work. He was then lured by a Chinese travel agency promising a job in Thailand. In August 2024, Ashraf flew to Bangkok and was taken to Mae Sot, where he was forced into working on internet scams. His family claims that when he refused to do the work, he was tortured in Myanmar.

After months of distress, Ashraf’s family received an email from the MEA confirming his arrest by Thai authorities.

The Ministry has not given any assurance about his rescue. Ashraf’s wife, Jabeen Sultana, borrowed Rs 3.5 lakh to pay off the company that held him captive, but he was arrested by the Thai police when he entered Thailand and sent to jail.

Social worker Amjed Ullah Khan has written multiple letters to Indian embassies, urging them to intervene and bring Ashraf home.