TIRUVARUR: A youth from the district who was held captive by a gang in Myanmar for nearly a fortnight was rescued and repatriated on Sunday.
M Mukeshwaran (24), an engineer from Moovanallur Vettikkadunear Mukeshwaran worked in Thailand and returned home a month ago after working there for two years.
Early this month, he came across a job offer in Myanmar, and he applied for it and through an agency went to Thailand on August 8. From there, he was taken to a town in Myanmar located on the Thailand border by members of a recruitment agency.
As Mukeshwaran did not like the work environment, he wanted to return to India. However, a group of persons from the agency refused to permit Mukeshwaran to return to India and demanded Rs 6.25 lakh for his release.
Following this, Mukeshwaran informed his father to arrange the money. His captors wanted the money to be handed over to a hawala operator in Tiruchy. However, Murugesan lodged a complaint in the Vaduvoor police station on August 20.
The team arranged a decoy operation at Tiruchy and detained Mewaram (48), native of Janvi Rajasthan who was residing in Palakkarai.
The police found out his associate Samalaram living in Rajasthan was also involved in the hawala racket and established contact with the group which was holding Mukeshwaran in Myanmar. “After negotiations the gang agreed to release Mukeshwaran”, an official said.