The daughter of 39-year-old Nasreen Begum claimed she was forced to work as domestic help without proper food and accommodation.
Hyderabad woman Nasreen Begum stranded in Oman, her daughter writes to MEA India. (Twitter)
On 10 May, Hyderabad resident Mahek Unnisa wrote a letter to Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar seeking the rescue of her mother, who is stranded in Oman.
Mahek claimed that her 39-year-old mother Nasreen Begum — a resident of Millath Nagar in Bandlaguda, Hyderabad — was stuck in the Al Suwayq town of Oman, which is over 100 kilometres away from the country’s capital city of Muscat.
This is not the first incident where stranded women have sent SOS messages from Oman, requesting to be rescued and reunited with their families.
Mahek’s letter addressed to Union minister Jaishankar was shared by the Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) spokesperson on social media along with the photo of her passport.
He also shared a copy of the tourist e-visa, according to which she could not stay in Oman for more than 30 days.
Mahek Unnisa from Hyderabad appeals @DrSJaishankar to rescue her daughter Nasreen Begum who is stuck who is up in Al Suwayq near Muscat, Oman. Details attached.@meaMADAD @HelplinePBSK @ProtectorGenGOI @Indemb_Muscat @hydcitypolice @sushilrTOI pic.twitter.com/RxpbHxpIa0
— Amjed Ullah Khan MBT (@amjedmbt) May 11, 2023
In the letter, Mahek wrote that her mother (Nasreen Begum) was looking for a job and was offered a position as domestic help by a local agent in Dubai in the UAE.
Giving her mother’s details, Mahek said Nasreen reached Dubai on 9 February this year, where she was received by a woman named Fatima.
She said that Fatima later “sold” her mother to another woman named Shruti, adding that Nasreen was moved to Al Suwayq after 20 days.
“Within two months, she was moved to another house where she was forced to work as a housemaid without proper food and accommodation,” Mahek claimed in her letter.
Mahek also pointed out her mother’s deteriorating health in the letter. “She was kept there (Al Suwayq) at the Diamond Manpower Consultancy. Upon reaching there, Nasreen fell ill and pus started to ooze out of her wound from a previous stomach surgery,” she said.
As per Mahek, Nasreen’s kafeel (employer/sponsor) is demanding ₹2 lakh to return her passport, which he seized, for her return to India.
Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Oman responded to the tweet of MBT’s Amjed Ullah Khan.
“Embassy has been trying to contact the manpower agency on the given numbers, but no response is there. WhatsApp messages were also dropped but no answer was received,” the Indian embassy in Oman wrote in its response.
Asking Nasreen Begum to contact them, the Indian Embassy also shared a toll-free number — 80071234.
“We spoke to her today. She said her kafeel (employer) has agreed to send her back. We are going to book her a return ticket as she was repeatedly asking us to do so,” Nasreen’s son-in-law Abdul Salman told South First.
Embassy has been trying to contact the Manpower agency on the given numbers but no response is there. Whatsapp messages were also dropped but no answer was received. Please ask Smt. Nasreen Begum to contact on our toll free number (80071234).
— India in Oman (Embassy of India, Muscat) (@Indemb_Muscat) May 15, 2023
In August last year, 46-year-old Ameena Begum sent an SOS message from Muscat. She was reportedly one among the 85 Indian women then sheltered at a government-run home by the Indian Embassy in Oman.
These women, who allegedly travelled to different Gulf countries to work as domestic help, fell into the trap of illegal agents. Their plight came to light recently after a video message was posted on social media by a Hyderabad-based NRI rights activist Singireddy Naresh Reddy.
@DrSJaishankar @SecretaryCPVOIA @meaMADAD @Indemb_Muscat @NCWIndia Indian women migrants stranded in a shelter home run by Indian Embassy in Muscat, Oman. Provide legal aid, get their pending wages & repatriate @vbmkumar1 @revanth_anumula @ShashiTharoor @INCIndia @Pravasi_Mithra pic.twitter.com/MMaNozIkSk
— Singireddy Naresh Reddy (@TPCC_Gulf_NRI) August 10, 2022
Reports added that the women were made to work at multiple homes, cook for a dozen people, allowed sleep only for three to four hours a night, and not given sufficient food to eat, among other restrictions.
Their passports were also reportedly confiscated by the sponsors as soon as they arrived.
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