The dreams of a wife and her husband from Maharashtra’s Thane district of earning decent money in Kuwait were shattered when their employer exploited them and held them captive, but thanks to the efforts of the “Bharosa cell “from the local police and the assistance provided by the Indian Embassy in that country, the couple returned to India safely, a police official said on Wednesday. Bharosa Cell Deputy Inspector of Police, Meera Bhayander Vasai Virar (MBVV), Tejashree Shinde said that a woman from Bhayandar in Thane district filed a complaint some time ago stating that a maid and her husband had been held captive by their employer in Kuwait. The woman told police she knew the couple because she had worked with them in the past. ”She said in her complaint that the couple moved to Kuwait on April 5 this year through a recruitment agency. They were hired as housekeepers by a Kuwaiti national. They were promised a monthly salary of Rs 40,000 and expected to look after two children in addition to cleaning and cooking,’ Shinde said. However, their employer, Mosab Abdulla, forced the couple to care for nine children and maintain a six-room apartment. They were forced to work 22 hours a day, she said citing the complaint. Due to the workload, the woman fell ill and was admitted to a hospital in Kuwait. “During this time, she managed to get in touch with the woman (complainant) in Bhayandar and tweeted her a picture from the hospital in Kuwait and urged her to save her,” Shinde said. After the employer learned that the woman had tweeted her whereabouts, he snatched her mobile phone and prevented her and her husband from leaving his home. Meanwhile, the female complainant rushed to MBVV police Bharosa cell and asked for their help in rescuing the couple, the officer said. MBVV Police contacted the Indian Embassy in Kuwait and requested assistance. ”The Embassy after investigation came back saying that the couple had entered into a contract with the owner of the house and had to fulfill it. However, if the female victim comes to the embassy in person and files a complaint, they could help her,” Shinde said. On the night of June 20, the victim left Abdulla’s house under the guise of buying vegetables and reached the embassy, police said. Two days later, the embassy produced the couple in the Kuwait Labor Court which summoned Abdulla, who returned their passports. Meanwhile, Abdulla has filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the couple. “The court ordered the couple to return to India by July 4 on their expenses and if they fail to do so, their landlord’s statement will be recorded for the alleged breach of employment contract,” Shinde added. The couple did not have the money to return to India but were helped by their former employer, friends and family in India. “With the help of the Bharosa cell, they eventually returned to India,” Shinde said.
(This story has not been edited by the Devdiscourse team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
