WATCH: Hyderabad woman says ‘trafficked’ to Oman on pretext of job, appeals to government to rescue her
Fareeda Begum, a resident of Golconda in Telangana’s Hyderabad, revealed that she was lured to the UAE by a woman named Shehnaz Begum and later ‘trafficked’ to Muscat, Oman.
New Delhi: A woman from Hyderabad has alleged that she was trafficked to Muscat, Oman, after being lured to the Gulf state by a woman on the pretext of offering her a job as a maid. The 48-year-old resident of Hyderabad, identified as Fareeda Begum, has written to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar seeking her rescue from the Arab country.
A video surfaced on social media sites on Friday in which the woman narrated her ordeal in the Gulf country and called on the Indian government to ‘rescue’ her and help her return home. In the video, the destitute woman can be seen whispering, claiming she was told to keep her voice low while speaking.
The vulnerable woman said she was in excruciating pain due to her illness and longed to return to her husband and children back home in India.
Fahmeeda Begum from Hyderabad, Telangana appealed @DrSJaishankar to save her sister Fareeda, Begum was stuck in Muscat, Oman. She was promised a job in Dubai, UAE by a female agent Shenaz Begum and after working for a month, she was trafficked to Muscat, Oman and sold there. pic.twitter.com/a5Rnp0dSRo
— Amjed Ullah Khan MBT (@amjedmbt) January 4, 2024
In the video, Fareeda, a resident of Golconda in Telangana’s Hyderabad, revealed that she was lured to Oman by a woman identified as Shehnaz Begum. Fareeda said Shehnaz offered her a job in Oman and promised that she would get a monthly salary of 1,400 Dirham (about Rs 32,000) along with accommodation and food.
Shehnaz had promised Fareeda that she could go home whenever she wanted if she didn’t like the job, said the victim’s sister Fahmeeda Begum.
On November 4 last year, Fareeda Begum traveled to the UAE on a visitor visa valid for 30 days, where she was taken to an Arab family and started working as a housekeeper, Fahmeeda said, according to India Today.
However, a month after her engagement as the family’s maid, Fareeda’s health deteriorated and she expressed her desire to return to India. However, she could not travel as Shehnaz allegedly withheld her passport, the sister said, according to the report.
Fareeda was later admitted to a hospital in the UAE as her health condition deteriorated and later “trafficked” by Shehnaz Begum to Muscat, Oman, Fahmeeda claimed.
Fahmeeda revealed that her sister was diagnosed with a kidney infection in Muscat and pleaded with the central government to help her return home.
In a December 28 letter to EAM Jaishankar, Fahmeeda sought the Centre’s help to rescue her sister from the Arab nation and bring her home.