Duped by travel agents, 11 women repatriated

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 22

As many as 11 Indian women who were allegedly duped by immigration agents only to get stranded in the UAE have been reunited with their families here.

Lured by greener pastures, 12 women had gone to Dubai for a better future. While 11 have returned home, one was likely to be back soon. Dr SP Singh Oberoi, a Dubai businessman who runs NGO Sarbat Da Bhala Charitable Trust, facilitated repatriation of the women by furnishing money to the Dubai landlords in lieu of arranging their immigration, stay and airfare.

While eight women from Punjab landed at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar, today, two from Kolkata and one from Patna reached their home two days ago. A Punjabi woman among them could not board the flight today due to ill health. Babli Kumari, who lived in Gawal Mandi, Amritsar, said she was promised a domestic help job with an Indian family in Dubai. “I reached Dubai in a group of 11. The agents took our documents and never arranged a job. After staying in a company’s enclosure for four months, we asked them to send us back. But they demanded Rs 1.5 lakh each.”

Exploited by rich

Women are made to work for 18 hours a day as domestic help till they get ‘decent jobs’. Ultimately, they are sold off to rich landlords who often mistreat them. —Dr SP Singh Oberoi, Head, sarbat da bhala charitable trust

Muktsar-based Mandeep Kaur, another victim, said, “My husband was into agriculture and we have two children to look after. It was difficult to make both ends meet so we contacted an agent through a relative. I was offered no work. Food was given in small quantities,” she said.