Consulate rescues four Indian females detained illegally by employer in Dubai

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Consulate rescues four Indian females detained illegally by employer in Dubai

Indians have been advised not to travel to Dubai for work on visit visa.

by

Dhanusha Gokulan

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Published: Sat 29 Jun 2019, 10:09 AM

Last updated: Sun 30 Jun 2019, 9:39 AM

Four young Indian female workers from Tamil Nadu were rescued by members of the Consulate General of India (CGI), India's Minister of External Affairs said in a tweet and confirmed by the Consulate General of India on Thursday.
The victims were duped and detained illegally by their employer in Dubai. The four women traveled from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu with the hopes of finding work as hostesses in an 'event management' company, however, they were coerced into working in a dance bar in Dubai. Panicking, the girls reached out to their family members, who then contacted the Ministry of External Affairs.
Vipul said, "We were informed about the case on Tuesday. On Tuesday evening, our officers visited the dance bar, and by Wednesday afternoon, we reached out Dubai Police after informing the Foreign Office."
The police, according to Vipul, rescued the girls by Wednesday afternoon, and they were at the Consulate for repatriation processes by Thursday morning.
"The girls, originally from Coimbatore, came to Chennai and took the flight to Dubai from Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh. The flew out from Dubai to Kozhikode airport on Friday afternoon," detailed Vipul.
V. Muraleedharan, India's Minister of State for External Affairs, tweeted: "Acting on an alert, with the help of local authorities of the Consulate General of India has rescued four young Indian female workers belonging to Tamil Nadu today. They were duped and detained illegally by their employer in Dubai."
"Our Consulate in Dubai @cgidubai is arranging their repatriation back to India quickly. @narendramodi government never compromises on the welfare of Indian workers abroad," he added in a follow-up tweet.
Consul General of India to Dubai Vipul told Khaleej Times: "With the help of local authorities, we were able to secure the release of the four girls very quickly. The women are expected to fly back today."
"The women were in Dubai for a short time, maybe four to five days," Vipul added.
The four women came to the UAE supposedly to work in an event management company. They were, however, duped and detained illegally by their employer in Dubai.
"They did not have a contract, there were no employment terms, they basically came with nothing. In this case, the girls were not illiterate, yet they made the mistake of coming here on a visit visa," explained Vipul.
The consul general insisted that Indians should not come to Dubai on visit visas in the hope of converting it into permanent employment status.
"Workers must come here on employment visas, and get full clarification about their employment and employment terms," Vipul underlined
The Consulate said workers can do it through the Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK) or the Indian Workers Resource Centre, or clarify their employment contract with the Indian Consulate as well.

Amid growing cases of duping and visa frauds, the Consulate General of India in Dubai had also cautioned Indians jobseekers in the UAE not to come on visit visas.
To avoid getting duped by unscrupulous agents, job seekers must come through the e-Migrate system that allows the embassy to verify their employment contracts.
Moreover, the Indian embassy has been spreading awareness through their social media platforms by posting stories of distressed job seekers who got a raw deal after coming to the UAE on visit visas.
- dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com


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