The shocking tale of a woman from Palla Kadiyam village in Rajanagaram mandal of East Godavari district having a harrowing time for the last one year at Riyadh in the Gulf has come to light.
Unable to bear torture by her employer, his wife and five children, she started narrating her woes through WhatsApp about three months ago.
Surya Kumari was deserted by her husband Nageswara Rao, an auto driver. When he was involved in a case related to a road accident, she paid compensation to the victims’ family in the presence of village heads at Korukonda by borrowing ₹1 lakh on high rate of interest. To overcome the financial crisis, she approached Kishore, a local agent. He in turn introduced her to Majith, a Gulf agent in Hyderabad.
The agents told her that she would be required work in the house of an Arab sheikh in Riyadh and that the salary would be 1,100 riyals ( about ₹ 19,000) per month. Finding the conditions attractive, she signed on the dotted line little realising that she was being sent on a single short tourist visa.
Sury Kumari’s troubles started after three months. She used to call her daughters Harathi and Renuka every fortnight in the beginning but later her phone was seized by the employer. She was subjected to harassment and torture after she tried to escape.
“My sister somehow managed to get a mobile and started making WhatsApp calls. She was also hospitalised for a brief period, “ said Illa Bhanu Prasad, who lodged a complaint against the agents at the Rajanagaram police station. She told her mother and brother that her employer and his wife stopped giving food and water.
Both the agents promised to arrange for her return in 45 days, but when it did not materialise, police booked an FIR on them.
Plea to NGO, MP
Meanwhile, relatives of Surya Kumari approached Gatti Manikyala Rao, head of Kindness, a non-governmental organisation which is working for the return of Indians stranded in the Gulf. They also sought the help of Rajamahendravaram MP Muralimohan.
Kishore said that Surya Kumari went to the Gulf on her own, but he was subjected to harassment by the police and relatives.