Keralite on visit to UAE goes missing from Dubai
Former Indian expat, whose job was affected during COVID-19, had gone out for a walk
Dubai: A former Indian expatriate, who had returned to the UAE on a tourist visa to look for a better job, as the one he had back home was affected due to COVID-19, has gone missing since Saturday, according to his friends.
Chenoth Thuruthummal Ashik, 31, had reportedly gone out for a walk from his friends’ flat at the Persia cluster in International City around 3pm on that day, said his friend and roommate Althaf C.A. “I was at work at that time,” he told Gulf News on Wednesday. “Ashik told my other friend Ramees that he was just stepping out of the building for a walk. Then Ramees told Ashik to wait so that he could join him after taking his mask and wallet. But by the time he picked up those items and went down, Ashik had left the building and there was no sign of him,” said Althaf.
‘Staying indoors’
He said Ashik did not carry his mobile, wallet, passport or any other belonging with him when he left. “He had been staying indoors ever since he reached here on October 17. He was supposed to go to Abu Dhabi after completing the quarantine period. One of our friends had said he would help him with a job at his grocery store,” said Althaf.
He said Ashik had been facing job issues for a couple of years. Around two years ago, he had lost his job as an assistant technician at an oil and gas company in Abu Dhabi where he had worked for four years. “When he went back home, he was jobless for some time. Later, he started working as a receptionist at a hotel in Bengaluru. However, the job was affected due to COVID-19.”
Following this, Althaf and another friend decided to bring Ashik over to the UAE and help him with a new job. He said Althaf had not been in touch with his mother and brother. “We had to force him to make calls to his mother. Maybe he was disturbed with personal and job issues. We are really worried about him. He is not familiar with Dubai and he has no money or document with him. We just want him to be safe and be back soon,” said Althaf.
CCTV footage
Ashik wore a blue-grey T-shirt, ash colour track pants and a black mask. Althaf said CCTV footage had shown Ashik walking in front of a building that was seven blocks away. “It looks like we will have to check many more CCTV footages for some more clues,” he said.
Ashik’s friends have reported the matter to the Indian Consulate in Dubai and the police. They have sought help from the public, too, to find Ashik.