A Durban family is appealing to the public for assistance in locating 65-year-old Deven Naicker, who went missing in Phuket, Thailand, after travelling there alone.
His daughter, Lavanya Naicker, 35, said she was increasingly worried about her father's safety after losing contact with him a day after his arrival in the country.
Deven, from Yellowwood Park in Durban, arrived in Thailand on November 6 and checked into the Ashlee Hotel in Phuket.
Lavanya told the Sunday Tribune that her father managed to contact her after checking into the hotel, but she has not heard from him since. His cellphone has since been switched off.
She said concerns arose when she was unable to reach him on Saturday, prompting her to contact the hotel and request that staff ask him to call her.
After receiving no response, she contacted the hotel again, where staff provided her with CCTV footage showing her father leaving the premises and walking towards a nearby market.
However, the footage did not show him returning to the hotel.
According to Lavanya, hotel staff confirmed that they had not seen him since he left and found his room empty when they checked.
A tracking application installed on Deven's cellphone also stopped providing updates, with his last recorded location showing the hotel.
Lavanya expressed concern over the delay in reporting her father missing, saying the hotel only notified local police on Monday, several days after he disappeared.
She said her father had been looking forward to the trip for years after postponing it following the death of her mother in 2021.
The trip was initially planned to celebrate his 60th birthday, but was cancelled after her mother's death shortly before the occasion.
Deven eventually decided to travel this year and had invited his daughter to accompany him. However, work commitments prevented her from joining him.
Lavanya said her father had not booked any tours or activities because he wanted to explore Thailand first before deciding where to go.
The family has since contacted people and businesses in Phuket, as well as the relevant embassy, in an effort to establish his whereabouts.
Lavanya hopes to travel to Thailand to assist with the search, but said her passport had expired. She has since applied for a renewal and is awaiting its arrival.
The search has also been complicated by her father's hearing difficulties, limited comfort with technology and the language barrier in a foreign country.
She said the family was struggling with uncertainty and did not know what had happened to him, adding that any possible explanations remained speculation until he was found.
Lavanya, who is an only child, said her father was her closest family and appealed to anyone with information to come forward.
She urged people who may have seen or interacted with Deven, particularly those working at hotels, restaurants, tour companies and taxi services in Phuket, to assist the family.
Anyone with information that could help locate Deven Naicker is urged to contact his daughter, Lavanya Naicker, via email at lavanya.naicker@gmail.com.
Based on reporting by IOL News