Mumbai: Kin fear missing shippie ensnared by human traffickers

Good Samaritan Sachin Shetty and Bharathi Udiyar with Royal Malaysia Police officers. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

The mother of 22-year-old Indian seafarer Manikandan Udiyar - who has been missing in Malaysia since October 2022 - landed in Kuala Lumpur last month, met the Royal Malaysia Police and registered a murder case against the Chinese owner of a tugboat where the youth was deployed to work.

The youth's parents and activists suspect human-trafficking kingpins are behind the abrupt disappearance of Udiyar, as the tugboat owner had filed a missing person's complaint. "But when I met the Chinese owner, Hi Hoon Mee, he did not give us my son's passport and continuous discharge certificate-cum-seafarer's identity document," Bharathi, the mother, told mid-day.

Udiyar, who had lost his job during the pandemic, was referred to a Kolhapur-based agent Rehan Pathan who charged him Rs 2 lakh to secure the job in Malaysia. He left India for Kuala Lumpur in September as the gig would help him assist his poverty-stricken parents financially.

Bharathi and Poongavanam Udiyar

The youth's father Poongavanam works as a cook in a Mulund-based restaurant while Bharathi is a domestic help in the eastern suburb where they reside. "We worked hard to give our children a good education. He completed a maritime course from a Pune-based academy in 2020 and had been working in Dubai. But, during the pandemic, my son lost his job and returned to India," said Poongavanam.

Bharathi said, "He was elated after he got the offer to work in Malaysia but after reaching there, he was asked to work on a tugboat named Zim Yin. He was overqualified for that kind of work."

Udiyar last contacted his sister Divya on October 17, 2022, at 8.30 pm. "The agent had procured a Malaysian mobile number for my son. But Manikandan has been untraceable since October 17. Divya was expecting a call on her birthday, October 22," Bharathi said.

A copy of the case registered against Hi Hoon Mee; (right) Manikandan Udiyar

The Udiyar family got alarmed after they received no calls on Divya's birthday. The family also contacted Pathan, the agent whom Udiyar had consulted. "Initially Pathan told us that the boat where my son worked had capsized in the Rejang river and the rescue operations were underway. But he changed his statement later, saying that my son had gone absconding in Malaysia. When I spoke with him sternly, he told me, ‘Do whatever you want, you can't do anything to me'," Bharathi told mid-day.

After running from pillar to post, the family managed to register a cheating case against Pathan, who has gone underground.

Activist helps family

The family came in contact with a seafarer-activist, Captain Sanjay Prashar. "He (Capt Prashar) helped us a lot and deputed a good Samaritan to take me to Malaysia last month," Bharathi said. "After much persuasion, the Chinese owner returned the belongings of my son. When I opened the bag, my son's CDC and passport were missing."

"The Chinese owner told us that my son drowned in a river while on duty and they have registered a missing complaint at a police station in Kapit town in Malaysia. But if that was the case, why were his passport and CDC not returned to me?" wondered the mother.

"I strongly believe that the Chinese owner has trafficked my son, making him work under inhuman conditions somewhere. I request the DG Shipping and government to help me find my son, who has fallen prey to an internationally run human trafficking racket," Bharathi added.

The businessman Sachin Shetty, who accompanied Bharathi to Kapit to register a murder case against Hi Hoon Mee at a police station, said that the Chinese owner was not cooperating with the local authorities.

According to Shetty, Udiyar is the seventh Indian seafarer who has gone missing under mysterious circumstances in Malaysia recently. He said, "Udiyar went missing on October 17 but Hi Hoon Mee registered a missing complaint on October 28. What was the reason for this delay?"

"If it was a case of drowning, the body starts to float after three days but it sinks again after four days if not fished out. And, as per international rules, the ship owner has to bear the compensation if a seafarer dies on duty. So, if Udiyar drowned, the Chinese owner might have noticed the body after three days but did not fish it out to avoid paying compensation. After noticing the body, Hi Hoon Mee might have waited for another four days for it to sink. And when the body sunk again, the Chinese owner registered a missing complaint," Bharathi hypothesised.

"The second possibility is the human trafficking angle as Udiyar's passport and CDC were not returned to us. If he drowned, how are his passport and CDC not traceable? Was my son working with these documents in his pocket? It seems that my son has been trafficked by a well-organised network and the Chinese owner has to play a big role in this," Bharathi added.

Meanwhile, Captain Prashar said, "Budding Indian seafarers are being cheated fatally. Avoid dying by not going on ships in Malaysia and Iran."

Attempt to hush up

Bharathi said, "The ship owner filed a false complaint and reported my son as a run away from onshore. Its manipulate the actual fact and hide out the truth to cheat us. (sic)"

Bharathi further alleged that the Chinese owner offered her a huge sum of money not to pursue the matter. "But I categorically told them that I want my son back, not money," she said.

Oct 17
Day in 2022 when Udiyar last contacted kin