PALAKKAD: The parents of Palakkad native Ranjith- A Ravi and Chithra V M - are running from pillar to post to save their son who has been lodged in the Central prison in Angola, South Africa. They point out that an Indian company, Ango Mart, which is conducting operations in that country has foisted false charges and lodged him in prison. The firm has also refused to pay his salaries for two months.
My son Ranjith Ravi has been working as a warehouse manager of a firm, Ango Mart, under the Noble group of companies in Angola, South Africa, from February 2020 and has not come to India for the past two years. In November 2021, he approached the human resource manager of the company and sought leave. But the manager declined to give leave. There was a minor altercation over the matter. What followed was least expected. The company officials confined him to a room after foisting false charges and later put him in prison, said V M Chithra, his mother.
She added that, in the last two months, the company has not even paid him any salary. On March 29, 2022, the Indian Embassy in Angola was informed. The officials in the embassy informed through a message that they had met Ranjith Ravi on April 4, 2022. They said that the problem will be resolved in a couple of days.
Ranjith Ravi in a video posted from someone’s mobile phone said that the officials of the company were threatening him for no reason. He repeatedly said he was innocent and the issue was raked up only because he wanted leave and wished to go home. The company officials were threatening him to plead guilty that he had misappropriated funds, which is not true.
He said that, out of the 1,500 persons who have been put in jail, he was the only Indian. He said that he will not admit to any crime which he did not commit, said A Ravi, his father. He urged the Ministry of External Affairs to intervene and save his son as his life is in danger. For the past three months, he had been confined to a room and later lodged in prison.