Five Punjab women repatriated from Oman

Sharing her ordeal with the media, the victim said she was sent abroad in September on the pretext of employment

As many as five Punjab women, who were trapped in Oman, have been repatriated back to India. On their arrival, one of the women from Jalandhar met Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal, who took up the matter for their repatriation with the ministry of external affairs.

Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal said the victim families submitted the written representation with him on December 16 last yea (Representational Image)

Seechewal said the victim families submitted the written representation with him on December 16 last year following which the matter was taken up with the concerned ministry. Sharing her ordeal with the media, the victim said she was sent abroad in September on the pretext of employment.

“Upon reaching Oman, I discovered that she had been duped. The person responsible for trapping her was none other than her own aunt, who abandoned her in Oman and returned to India,” she said.

She added that in the past four months, she was subjected to continuous pressure to perform immoral acts and was beaten and abused whenever she resisted. “When I expressed desire to return to India, I was told that I would only be allowed to leave only if I paid ₹2 lakh or brought two other girls from India as my replacement,” she said.

Meanwhile, Seechewal said that the exploitation of Indian women in Arab countries is a serious and deeply concerning issue. “I have recently written to the ministry of external affairs regarding 70 Indian women trapped in Oman, following which swift action was taken and five women were safely repatriated,” he said, demanding stricter action against the travel agents, who facilitated their visit to Oman.