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12 Indian maids rescued in UAE after being duped by fake job agents

Ajman - Their plight was brought to the attention of the Indian diplomatic authorities on Friday.

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Twelve housemaids duped by fake job agents were rescued by the Indian Association – Ajman and the Indian Consul in Dubai.

Their plight was brought to the attention of the Indian diplomatic authorities on Friday after a social worker and families of five victims raised the issue on social media.

Amjed Ullah Khan, a Hyderabadi social activist tweeted pictures and videos of the women, tagging Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar.

“We managed to rescue 12 women from Ajman in collaboration with the Indian Association – Ajman. A probe is in progress and seven of the 12 women have lodged complaints with the police," said Neeraj Agarwal, Consul – Press, Information, and Culture at the Consulate-General of India in Dubai.

Agarwal said these women had come to the UAE with the help of unscrupulous job agents. “Initially, we got the information about five housemaids. Later, the figure turned out to be 12 such stranded women. They alleged harassment at the hands of their employers’ families and the agents in their police complaint.”

The women also claimed that they were not paid for months and were sometimes denied food and freedom.

Modus-operandi of fake recruitment agents

Roop Sidhu, the general secretary of the Indian Association – Ajman, who oversaw the rescue operations, said that the rescued women were being looked after by the Indian diplomatic mission in Dubai.

“The agents brought these women on visit visas and kept them locked in their apartments. They would be taken to the recruitment agencies for a couple of hours in the morning so employers could come over and select them," he told Khaleej Times.

Sidhu said the maids were kept in homes on a trial basis, and only if the family liked them, they would be hired.

“Since they are not here on the proper e-migrate channel, they can be poached by any agent as they work on a commission basis. That is why women were sometimes locked inside small homes,” said Sidhu.

Most of the women were in the UAE on one to three-month visit visas. “Some have been stranded here for two months, some three,” said Sidhu.

Two women will reach home today

Repatriation processes for stranded women is being arranged, said Neeraj Agarwal, Consul – Press, Information, and Culture at the Consulate-General of India in Dubai.

“Two women are slated to leave for home today. The rest will leave over the next couple of days. We’re providing food and shelter to the stranded women,” he added.

He urged Indian job seekers, especially women, not to fall prey to fake job agents. “They must go through proper channels. They must avoid unscrupulous agents at all cost,” he added.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com