A Durban family is appealing for information about Deven Naicker, who was last seen leaving his hotel in Phuket on November 7. He had arrived in Thailand on November 6 and checked into the Ashlee Hotel in Phuket. His daughter, Lavanya Naicker, said she feared for his safety after losing contact with him a day after his arrival. Deven Naicker is from Yellowwood Park in Durban.
According to Lavanya Naicker, her father managed to call her after arriving at the hotel, but she had not heard from him since. She became increasingly concerned and eventually contacted the hotel, asking the staff to tell her father to call her. The hotel sent her CCTV footage showing her father leaving the premises and walking towards a nearby market, but there was no footage of him returning.
The hotel staff checked Deven Naicker's room, but he was not there. A tracking application installed on his cellphone had also stopped providing updates, with his last recorded location showing the hotel. Lavanya Naicker said her father had been looking forward to the trip for years, planning it to celebrate his 60th birthday after postponing it following the death of her mother in 2021.
Deven Naicker had travelled to Thailand without booking tours or activities, wanting to explore the country and make arrangements after arriving. As a result, the family does not have an itinerary or know where he may have gone. Lavanya Naicker is concerned about the time it took for the disappearance to be reported to local authorities, saying the hotel delayed reporting him missing until Monday.
Lavanya Naicker has contacted people and businesses in Phuket, and appealed to members of the public to help establish her father's whereabouts. The family has also contacted the relevant embassy for assistance. She wants to travel to Thailand immediately to assist with the search but is waiting for her passport to be renewed, as it had expired.
The situation is particularly difficult for the family due to the language barrier and Deven Naicker's limited technical skills, as he is hard of hearing and not comfortable with technology. Lavanya Naicker said she is extremely worried about her father's safety, adding that she is an only child and her father is her closest family.
Lavanya Naicker has appealed to anyone who may have seen, spoken to, or come across her father to come forward, particularly those working in hotels, restaurants, tour companies, and taxi services in Phuket. Anyone with information that could assist in locating Deven Naicker is urged to contact his daughter via email at [email protected] .
Key points
- Deven Naicker was last seen leaving his hotel in Phuket on November 7.
- The hotel staff delayed reporting him missing to local authorities until Monday.
- Lavanya Naicker is waiting for her passport to be renewed to travel to Thailand and assist with the search.
