Youth Stranded In Ecuador Arrives Home Safely

SEPANG (Selangor, Malaysia), Jan 27 (Bernama) -- Muhammad Fariz R Azli, a 24-year-old Malaysian who was stranded in Quito, Ecuador for two months after refusing to become a 'mule' to carry goods that he had no knowledge of, arrived safely at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Thursday. Fariz who could not hide his emotions upon seeing his mother Maszita Hussin, 46, and his family members at the airport broke down and cried. Fariz, a Financial Consultant, had flown to Ecuador on a free ticket for a holiday, offered to him by someone, but realised it was a mistake when he was asked to carry some goods that he had no knowledge. "When I refused, I was given a fake flight ticket by an unknown individual," he told reporters here Thursday. Fariz said throughout his stay in Ecuador, he had survived on bread and bananas and ate rice sometimes, courtesy of workers from the hotel he had stayed. He later thanked his family and friends for highlighting his plight on social media and collecting donations for his return to Malaysia. "I plan to lodge a police report and provide the police with details of the individual," he said. --BERNAMA