Dubai - They said they paid an agent Rs30,000 (Dh1,500) each, as they were promised employment.
A group of Indian blue-collar workers is stranded in the UAE without jobs after they were allegedly duped by an agent. The workers are unable to look for new jobs or return to India as they don’t have their passports with them.
The eight workers are now staying at a labour accommodation.
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After the Indian Consulate in Dubai was apprised about their plight, the mission facilitated the services of some social workers.
The workers said an agent brought them to the UAE after promising them jobs. They said they paid Rs30,000 (Dh1,500) each.
One of the workers, Raijullah Devan, said: “We are stranded here with no food or work or money.”
A social worker, Kiran, first spotted them on a street. He immediately sought assistance from consulate officials, who in turn, requested another social worker, Hidayath Adoor, to help out.
“Hidayath provided us with an accommodation. He also provided us with food and other basic needs,” Raijullah said.
Hidayath said the workers were duped by the agent, who had promised them jobs.
They had arrived in the UAE on March 5 and lived at an accommodation for about a month. The workers learned later that their agent had not given their passports to the company that was to hire them.
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A representative from the company told Khaleej Times: “They (the workers) came and lived here for about two weeks. We were ready to hire them, but their passports were not submitted to us.”
Social workers assisting the workers said some companies want to hire the workers. “The workers desperately need their passports as some companies are willing to hire them,” said Hidayath.
Photo: Supplied