Hyderabad: Twenty-two migrants from Telangana state, who were cheated by a travel agent, are stuck in Dubai and they told this newspaper that they are living in very inhumane conditions and had not eaten in three days. They want the state government to help them.
They say they were duped by a travel agent named Haribabu who promised them jobs. They did get the jobs but in a company that is not paying them a wage. They say they don’t even have money to buy food.
Each of them paid between Rs 60,000 and Rs 80,000 to Haribabu, who assured them they would get a monthly salary of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 in Dubai.
A. Krishna, 24, from Racharla Thimmapoor village, Yellareddypet mandal in Karimnagar district, told this newspaper over phone, “I came to Dubai in the month of February to earn and clear my debt. I have a debt of around seven lakhs. The travel agent Haribabau assured me that he will provide a job as he owned a company. When we reached here, we got to know that he runs a manpower services company. He had assured us Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 as monthly salary but when we came here we got to know we will be paid only once every three months.”
T. Srinivas, who has a wife and two young children in India, comes from Dandepally mandal in Adilabad district. He said, “I came to Dubai in December. The travel agent Haribabu promised me a billing job, but gave me a cleaning job. I did that work but when I asked for my salary after a month, he told me that I would get paid after three months. In February, I got one month’s salary. After which he didn’t pay us. He provided three rooms for 25 members and asked us to adjust. It’s been three days we haven’t eaten anything. We are just surviving by drinking water.”
Even to get that water, he said, they had to walk at least six kilometres. “With what we brought from home we have been able to survive till now, but since last three days our condition has deteriorated as our money is over,” he added.
Ramya, the distressed wife of another man, B. Suresh, from Thakkalapally in Jagtial district, said: “I warned my husband not to go to Dubai. We have two children who are twins. He couldn’t be present on our children’s first birthday. He convinced me he had to go to clear our debts. Earlier also he was cheated by an agent. I request Chief Minister Mr Rao and his son Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao to help us and see that this type of incident doesn’t happen again”. Patkuri Basanth Reddy, president of the Gulf Telangana Welfare and Cultural Association, said that the association’s primary concern is to send food for the stranded men. “We also request the state and central government to help them to come back to India.”
