Saudi ordeal: Victims recount tales of shattered dreams

 

The trio — Abhilash Gopi, 21,  Anju Bhavan, Malamelkode, Muttom; B. Vimal Kumar, 30, Puthanveedu, Kanichan-elloor, Muttom; and Baiju Babu, Karthikappally, near  Haripad — had fallen victims to the job racket run by agents Shamsad, B.K. Shabumon and K.N. Vinod Kumar, a civil police officer in Arattupuzha police station, who was suspended.  

 

They were promised jobs as electrician, mec-hanic and pump operator  with handsome remuneration, but were made to work in brick units.

 

“The sponsor punched me and spat on my face in the presence of Shamsad Basheer when we protested after finding no sign of the company ‘Silverdot’ where we were offered  jobs, said Abhilash. Abhilash and Vimal had flown to Abha, Saudi Arabia, on the border with war-ravaged Yeman, on December 4 and Baiju on November 6. Abhilash  had spent Rs 1 lakh to get the papers. Baiju said the employer started torturing him from the day he reached there. Later,  Shamsad brought the two others also. 

 

Abhilash with his family

 

“When we started to protest jointly,  Shamasad threatened me  and after discussions  with the employer in Arabic, asked us to get out of the company. When we walked down the lane, the employer drove his  Land Cruiser towards us but fortunately, he could not cross the car on  the concrete path over the channel where we walked. Suddenly, he came out with a wooden plank and beat me up on my upper rib. When we tried to run away, he spat at Abhilash’s face. Vimal filmed it and sent it to the relatives,” Baiju said.

 

“We took refuge in a shop nearby run by a Malayali, who called the police. The  next day, police officials in four vehicles reached the spot and took us to the police station where we stayed for three days. Later, following the intervention by CM Oommen Chandy and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, the employer and agents came with a set of papers for a compromise.  But we refused and will fight it out to get compensation,”  they said.