19 job fraud victims return from Kuwait

“In the last six months of my stay in Kuwait, I have not earned a single penny. There was absolutely no work,” said Aboobakar Siddiq of Bajal.

He was one among 19 persons who landed in Mangaluru after going through a harrowing experience following job fraud.

Explaining the woes in Kuwait, he told DH, “We left Mangaluru on January 7. My interview for the job of online goods delivery boy was held on September 11, 2018. We were hired for Carriage company in Kuwait.”

Company blacklisted

“After reaching there, we realised that we had to work under another company, which was actually blacklisted in Kuwait. The company promised (us) to complete formalities related to civil ID, licence and other related to work to be completed within three months. Unfortunately, our wait for job continued even after three months. All the money that I had in my hand exhausted within 15 days of reaching there,” he said.

“We were not even paid any advance for the delay in starting our work. As per the rules, the company should have provided us with civil ID, licence and other things within 45 days of reaching there. We had called Manikya Associates placement company owner and had asked him to help us. When our pleas went unheard, we sent a video to Mangaluru South MLA Vedavyas Kamath and also made it viral. We gained confidence only after the MLA responded to us and later Indian Embassy too helped us to return,” he said.

“Eleven people are still in Kuwait. Three of them will return either on August 2 or 3. As the company had slapped fine on eight persons, we don’t know when will they will return,” he added.

Those who reached Mangaluru are Nashood (Manjeshwara), Varun (Akashbhavana), Kalandar Shafeeq (Moodbidri), Nashood (Koppa), Rafeeq (Koppa) Yakoob Mullal (Sirsi), P Fernandes (Bhatkal), Jagadish, Ashik (Udupi), Parthik (Udupi), Mohammed Hasan (Kolnadu), Mohammed Ismail (Kolnadu), Abdul Maseed (Karkala), Mohammed Suhail (Ullal), Naufan Hussain (Ullal), Mohammed Shakeer (Ullal), Abdul Lathif (Thumbe), Fayaz (Kuthar), Aboobakar Siddiq (Bajal).

MLA pays for tickets

Their flight ticket from Kuwait to Mumbai and bus ticket from Mumbai to Mangaluru were arranged by MLA Kamath.

“Manjeshwara Mohandas Kamath of Institute of Engineers in Kuwait, NRI Rajesh Bhandary, members of Kuwait Kerala Muslims’ Association and Tulu Koota were all helpful and supportive to us,” he said.