Oman returnees: Despite FIRs, no action against agents

Tribune News Service

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, May 25

The police are mulling setting up a SIT to deal with the cases of Oman returnee women, who have alleged that they were being exploited by agents. Most of them have said their family members had already lodged police complaints but to no avail.

Still unaware of complaint status

An agent had sent me to Muscat. He along with the sponsor forced me and other women into illegal activities. Since we resisted, they started torturing us. I shared it with my husband, who had lodged a complaint with the Jalandhar police. We are still not aware about the status of the case. Parneet (name changed), kapurthala

The women, who returned from Oman with the help of MPs Vikramjit Sahney and Balbir Singh Seechewal, have said their families back home had been pursuing their cases with the police but they had got no help.

Kirti (name changed), a woman from Moga, who is among the returnees, said, “My husband had got an FIR lodged with the Bathinda police against the agent for over a year now. The police have not booked the agent, who duped us of over Rs 1 lakh. I was promised work at a packing unit for Rs 24,000 a month. Instead I was given a job as a caretaker for kids. I was made to work from 4 am to 10 pm and got no salary even after two months. When I protested, they had locked me in a room for four months. From there, I managed to escape and reached a gurdwara about nine months back. I got in touch with more women from Punjab at the gurdwara and we made a video from there, sharing our story. This is how the message spread and we got assistant and were brought back.”

Kapurthala-based Parneet (name changed) too alleged that an agent from in Jalandhar had sent her to Muscat. “He along with the sponsor forced me and other women into illegal activities. Since we resisted, they started torturing us. I shared my story with my husband, who had lodged a complaint with the Jalandhar police. We are still not aware about the status of the case. Since we did not get any police help, my husband approached Seechewal, who took up my case through the MEA,” she said.

SSP, Jalandhar Rural, Mukhwinder Bhullar, said, “I cannot remember having received any complaints about women being exploited in Muscat. But I will check it.”

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