Hyderabad | A heart-wrenching case has emerged from Hyderabad, where a 37-year-old woman has been trapped in Muscat, Oman, after falling prey to an overseas job scam. Her daughter has made an urgent plea to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) seeking help to bring her mother back safely, reported the Siasat.
Sajida Begum, a resident of Kalapathar in Hyderabad, was promised a job as a housemaid in Oman by a local agent. On June 25, she traveled to Oman on a tourist visa. However, upon her arrival, she was coerced into working in multiple households for over 16 hours a day. According to her daughter, Habeeba Begum, Sajida is being physically abused, deprived of adequate food and shelter, and is not allowed to return to India unless she pays Rs 2 lakh—the amount her employer is allegedly demanding as recruitment fees.
In a written letter addressed to External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Habeeba detailed the horrifying conditions her mother is enduring. She also revealed that Sajida is being held in a travel office in Muscat and that her mobile phone has been confiscated, leaving her completely cut off from her family.
The matter has also been highlighted by MBT leader Amjed Ullah Khan, who took to social media to tag the Indian Embassy in Muscat and urge immediate intervention from the government.
Documents shared by the family confirm that Sajida was granted only a 30-day single-entry tourist visa and not a valid work permit, exposing a clear violation of immigration and labor norms.
Such cases of exploitation and fraudulent recruitment practices continue to rise, particularly affecting women from economically vulnerable backgrounds seeking work abroad. The family, along with local activists, is appealing to the Indian authorities to ensure Sajida’s safe return and to take strict action against the agents involved in this trafficking-like exploitation.
