HYDERABAD: Two immigrants from Telangana, who underwent a harrowing experience for nine months in Kuwait after being cheated by criminals who wooed them to the Gulf nation with job promise, returned to the city on Thursday. Their repatriation was facilitated by Indian government after the State wrote to the Embassy of India in Kuwait regarding their issue.
Bheemara Raju from Sircilla and Ashaboina Anil from Kamareddy boarded the flight to India on Thursday. Speaking to Express, they said they were cheated by one Krishna, a native of Goa. The duo started facing problems the moment they landed in Kuwait in August.
While Raju was told by his agents in India that he would be employed as an electrician, Anil was told that he would be employed as an office boy. However, when they reached Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh in Abassiya, Kuwait, they were forced to work as security guards by Krishna. Not just that, they were employed only for three months of which they were paid only for one month.
Their passports had been confiscated by Krishna and they had no money to buy return ticket. When they contacted their agent in India, they were told that asking for help from the Indian government and getting an Emergency Certificate for travel was only option for them.
The duo was not the only ones to be cheated by Krishna, as they said there were about 14 others who suffered similar fate. However, others managed to get back their passports. Raju, who is married and has two daughters said, “Of the nine months spent in Kuwait, we had work for only three months and even of that, we were paid salary for only one month. As a result, we had no money to even eat. I asked for financial help from other migrants from India and managed to survive.”
Anil added, “Around 12 of us who were cheated by Krishna, complained against him at the Indian Embassy. But when the Embassy officials called upon him, he did not respond.” Both the immigrants invested `1.2 lakh hoping for better employment opportunities in Kuwait, of which `60,000 was spent on paying 3-4 agents.