Bakrid celebrations at Mohammad Mufiz’s home, were for real this year. Held virtually as a captive for over three months, after being made to work on odd jobs for three long years by a Riyadh company he had joined for work, he had almost turned suicidal, even as his family lost all hopes of his return.
His sudden return, thanks to intervention by the Jharkhand Chief Minister, coincided with Bakrid, infusing his home with immeasurable joy, Monday.
“Mufiz was leading a good life here. But when one of his friends invited him to Saudi Arabia for better job prospects, he agreed. Once there, his friend handed him over to another person who started exploiting him by giving him different jobs. To honour the contract, Mufiz remained silent but after the expiry of the contract, when he wished to come back home, his company held him captive and started treating him like a slave,” said his elder brother Khurshid.
Mufiz, somehow, managed to flee from captivity but his employers lodged a case of burglary against him and got him arrested.
He was later released for want of proof, but the police continued to torture him in the name of interrogation.
He spent four months in a room which he recalls as ‘hell’ and managed to communicate his plight to his family.
It was then that his family members met CM Raghubar Das and asked for help.
“I thank the chief minister for his efforts to bring me back,” said Mufiz, adding, “The one thing I learnt was that it’s better to work in one’s own country, rather than going to foreign countries in search of job.”