The last time Nelis Pitt\u00ed heard her grandson’s voice was July 5. He told her he was heading out on a mission. He promised to call when he returned. That call never came. The 20-year-old from Chiriqu\u00ed province had traveled to Russia after someone promised him a job making plastic furniture for more than $10,000 a month. Now his family fears the worst. They believe he was tricked into joining the Russian military instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pitt\u00ed’s grandson is not the only young Panamanian who has vanished under similar circumstances. Multiple families have come forward saying their loved ones accepted what appeared to be lucrative job offers abroad, only to disappear once they reached Russian territory. The cases have triggered a formal investigation by the Panama Ministry of Public<\/a>, which is examining whether these disappearances constitute human trafficking for military purposes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n