A young Sabahan father who left his hometown with dreams of earning US$2,500 (around RM12,000) a month as a cook in Singapore is now believed to be a victim of an international trafficking syndicate — held captive in Cambodia and threatened with being sold unless his family pays a US$7,000 ransom (approximately RM33,000). 

The victim, 25, from Keningau, was reportedly recruited by two of his former schoolmates, both from the same village. 

They had returned to Sabah earlier this year flashing gold chains, fancy cars, and tales of overseas success. It was enough to convince him, said Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation Sabah Coordinator Jerry Jaimeh. 

“He thought it was his ticket to a better life,” he said. 

“(But) he trusted the wrong people — people he grew up with,” he added. 

The man left Sabah on March 6, telling his 21-year-old wife — who had just given birth to their first child — that he’d be back in a year. 

“He said, ‘Wait for me.’ That was the last thing he said before he left,” her wife told reporters as she requested for anonymity. 

For a few days, everything looked fine. He shared videos of his food and accommodation. Then came silence. On March 22, the first signs of trouble: a video call where he appeared gaunt, frightened, and whispered that he had been taken to Cambodia.

He told his wife he hadn’t been allowed to sleep or eat. He said others around him had been beaten, some “kena karet” — a local slang term possibly referring to rubber-hose torture. 

Using the “Find My” feature on his iPhone, his wife confirmed his location.

A day later, the syndicate called. The price to free him: $7,000.

The family, who live modestly in Sabah’s interior, say they can’t come close to affording it. “We’re struggling just to feed our baby,” his wife said.

Jerry said this is one of the most alarming trafficking cases they’ve seen — not because of the brutality, but the method.

“This wasn’t a random online ad. This was peer-to-peer recruitment. Sabahans luring Sabahans,” he said.

The case follows a familiar three-stage trafficking playbook. Victims are first wooed and well-fed, told to wait for “the boss.” 

Then comes the second stage: detention and coercion — where the beatings start and the ransom demands are made. The third, if the family can’t pay, is forced labor or resale to another syndicate.

Jerry believes the victim is still in stage two — detained but not yet moved into Myanmar, where recovery becomes nearly impossible. 

The victim is currently believed to be the only Malaysian in a compound with over 200 detainees.

He has reportedly made contact with the Malaysian embassy in Phnom Penh, but no extraction has been executed.

“We’ve got a rescue team on standby. We just need the green light from authorities,” he said. 

The family is holding on to hope — and to a fragile daily routine. The victim calls twice a day — once at 10am, once at 11pm — if he’s able. 

During video calls, he shifts nervously, constantly scanning the room. His wife suspects his phone is monitored — and sometimes, the messages don’t even sound like him.

“He said his flight home is booked. But only after we pay,” she said. “We just want him back.”

Authorities are still investigating the role of the two friends who allegedly recruited him. The family has reached out, but the pair have denied any involvement.

As the days go by, the danger increases. Jerry warned that once the victim is moved, it may be too late.

“We’ve seen it happen. When families can’t pay, the syndicate resells the victim — and the next group demands a new ransom. Or worse.” – March 27, 2025