Some of those purportedly stranded in the camps told Malayalam television channels on Wednesday over the phone that there could be nearly 4,000 Indians in the US military camps in Afghanistan.

The workers alleged they were cheated by a Chennai-based recruiting agency which first took them to Gulf count­r­ies and from there to Af­gh­anistan.

“We are living here in miserable conditions. We are forced to do all sorts of jobs. If we run away from the camps, we will end up in the hands of militants,” one worker said. Though some of them had informed the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan about their plight, there had been no action so far.

The workers alleged recruits were first taken to Dubai and Kuwait on visit visas and then sent to camps in Afghanistan.

Reacting to the report, state Minister for non-resident Keralites Affairs K C Joseph said the government viewed the matter seriously and wanted the Central government’s intervention to save the Indians.