Nizamabad:Migrant Telugu workers have been cheated by middlemen in Gulf countries over the past few months.
By misusing mobile phone SIM cards and bank accounts, these agents collected lakhs of rupees in various Gulf nations. As a result, several workers were arrested by local police and ended up in prisons.
Thousands of youths from the Telugu states, especially from north Telangana districts, have rushed to Gulf countries in search of better employment opportunities. Typically, illiterate and semi-skilled workers have been migrating to Dubai, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Iran, and other countries for self-employment in recent years. Many of them spent lakhs of rupees on travel agents, flight charges, and other expenses to secure jobs abroad.
For instance, Billi Anil Kumar of Cheerlavancha village in Vemulawada mandal, Rajanna Sircilla district, is facing criminal charges in Abu Dhabi. Four years ago, he went there seeking employment with Salvo Company. Recently, when returning home from the Abu Dhabi airport, Anil was taken into custody by the police. He was accused of misusing mobile SIM cards and financial aids. Anil, however, said he was merely working in a private company and had no role in any cheating cases. After losing his job two months ago, he has been left without shelter or food. His family in India has urged officials to intervene, as he continues to face severe hardships in Abu Dhabi.
Similarly, NRI advisory committee member Parikipandla Swadeshi told Deccan Chronicle that another worker, Sayanna Gajakarrendla of Ambakanti village in Kuntala mandal, Nirmal district, was recently detained by Abu Dhabi police on charges of credit card misuse. He was later jailed in Dubai. Swadeshi stressed that Sayanna had no involvement in cheating cases. With help from the Ministry of External Affairs, the Protector General, and Vibrant Technologies Services, Sayanna was eventually released and has since returned home to Telangana.
Swadeshi added that some Indian youths in Gulf countries are themselves cheating fellow migrant workers by misusing SIM cards and arranging bank loans under false pretenses. He said a few of them, posing as travel agents, RMP doctors, and even barbers, have been exploiting migrant workers. Many innocent migrants have been trapped in these fraudulent schemes, facing unemployment, prison sentences, and severe hardships abroad.
Meanwhile, Gulf migrants have been urged to remain cautious while dealing with middlemen. Victims allege that these agents are misusing SIM cards and passports to obtain illegal bank loans, cheating workers out of lakhs of rupees. The affected families have appealed to the Indian Embassy and Gulf authorities to take strict action against the culprits.