Purnia: Seven young men from Amour in Bihar’s Purnia district have sought help from local leaders and the Bihar government after allegedly being stranded in Dubai without the jobs they were promised and without access to their passports.
The youths have released videos on social media appealing for help, claiming that an agent had promised them jobs at a socks manufacturing factory in Dubai after taking Rs 1.5 lakh from each of them. They alleged that after reaching Dubai, they were told that the promised factory job was unavailable and that their passports had been taken by an agency.
According to the youths, they left their homes on August 1 and reached Dubai on August 5. They said they were provided food for only one day and have since struggled to arrange food and accommodation.
The youths also alleged that they have received threats from an agent identified as Nahid Ghani after they sought help through social media.
Three youths initially sought help through video
A video featuring three of the seven youths surfaced on August 18. The youths said they happened to meet an Indian man from Amour at a hotel while having food in Dubai. After sharing their situation with him, they requested his help, following which he recorded their video.
In the video, the youths appealed to former Kochadhaman MLA Master Mujahid Alam for help, particularly for the return of their passports.
After seeing the video, Mujahid Alam contacted the youths and spoke to them over a video call. During the conversation, one of the youths said they had been stranded in Dubai for 17 days and had run out of money for food and accommodation.
The youths said they had initially survived on money brought from home but had exhausted their funds. They also claimed that they had been forced to remain hungry for the past two days.
Youths allege passports were withheld
During the video call, the youths alleged that the agent had arranged their travel to Dubai on the promise of employment. However, after they arrived, their passports were allegedly taken by the agency.
They claimed that their passports were not returned when they asked for them and that they were also subjected to mistreatment and physical assault.
When asked whether they had travelled to Dubai on tourist visas, one of the youths said they had been sent on tourist visas. According to their account, each youth paid Rs 1.5 lakh to agent Nahid Ghani in cash.
The youths said they had a video recording of the payment. Mujahid Alam asked them to preserve and share copies of their passports, visas and the payment video so that the matter could be taken up with the concerned authorities.
Youths say they were promised high-paying jobs
The youths claimed that they had been told they would work at a socks factory in Dubai and earn between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 3 lakh per month.
They said that after reaching Dubai, Ghani allegedly told them that the socks factory had shut down and that they could not be employed there.
The youths further alleged that Ghani’s agency in Dubai demanded an additional 2,200 dirhams, approximately Rs 57,000, before providing them with work. They said they paid the amount and submitted their passports to the agency.
According to the youths, when they subsequently asked for their passports back, they were told to first record videos of their parents and send them to the agency. They alleged that the agency said the passports would be returned only after this was done.
Agent allegedly threatened youths
The youths also alleged that the agent began threatening them after learning that they had recorded a video seeking help.
One of the youths, identified as Shamshad, claimed that Ghani threatened them over the phone and warned that they would face consequences for speaking out.
The youths said they were currently staying near the Ajman bus stand at their own expense after spending two days without proper accommodation.
Youths seek safe return or employment
The seven youths have appealed for either safe repatriation to India or employment with a legitimate company, as they claim they were originally promised.
They have also sought the return of the money allegedly paid to the agent.
The youths have been identified as Dilferoz Alam, 25, Nasir Alam, 21, Rabban Khan, 23, Danish, 24, Najish, 24, Shamshad, 28, and another youth whose identity has not been disclosed.
The allegations made by the youths could not be independently verified. The response of the agent or agency named by them was not available at the time of publication.
Former MLA Mujahid Alam has said he would raise the matter with the concerned authorities to facilitate the youths’ return to India.
