Web Report
DUBAI — Humanity knows no boundaries. Serving people in distress without minding their ethnic affiliations is what is required to be a good human being. One such story of human sympathy is reported by the Khaleej Times of Dubai in which two Indian jobseekers who landed in the UAE and found themselves left in the lurch as they came to know that they were duped by a fake recruiting agent.
There was no job as promised and the agent also flew after leaving them into a villa. A Pakistani expatriate, who is a Quran teacher, came to their rescue and provided them free food and accommodation considering their plight without minding their nationality. The story goes like this:
Indians Mohammed Usman and Sivakumar just wanted to work abroad to solve their financial woes. An agent flew them to the UAE, gave them Dh50 - and never returned.
Usman and Sivakumar- from the south Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, respectively – are another pair of Indians who got duped by fake recruitment agents who promised them secure jobs and a stable income, reports Khaleej Times.
They were buddies whose plan was simple: Find a job overseas, pay their debts and come back home.
And they thought their dream had come true when they found an agent through an advertisement on a Tamil TV channel.
They weren’t supposed to go to the UAE. Noor Mohammed, the travel agent, asked both of them to pay Rs200,000 each for the processing of their visas to Australia.
When the processing got delayed several times, Mohammed told them it was due to technical difficulties in immigration. They were then asked for multiple amounts of money in different instalments to continue the process.
At first, the duo were provided with tickets to Thailand, telling them that their Australian visa would arrive soon. But they were not allowed to enter the country as they did not meet the requirements for visa-on-arrival.
Stranded at the airport, the duo returned to India after making a distress call and asking their relatives to purchase return tickets for them.
When Usman and Sivakumar asked the travel agent to return their money – almost Rs700,000 each – the agent told them that Australian visa is ready, and travelling via the UAE would be a “better route”.
He also told them that he had secured their UAE tourist visas to ensure that there would be no hassle.
When they reached the UAE, the duo were given accommodation in Al Nuaimiya in Ajman.
The agent gave them Dh50 and left – he never returned.
Duo’s struggle
Talking about their plight, Sivakumar said: “We hoped to earn and live our life. We just want to go back home now. I am a vegetable seller who shuttle between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. I wish I had continued doing that.
“We arrived here on May 1, expecting a better life. Now, we live in the cramped quarters of an old villa. We have overstayed for quite a long time and don’t know what to do. We believed our travel agent, but he duped us.”
But for Usman, flying home is not an option as their families are already being “bullied” by those who lent them money.
“We need to find a job and keep going. There is no alternative. Going home empty-handed is not something we could think of. We are willing to work and we’re looking for someone to help us through this process.”
The Pakistani owner of the villa has been kind enough not to ask for rent and has been providing them with food, said Sivakumar.
When asked whether they sought help from the embassy or the consulate, the duo said they didn’t know where they could run to for help.
Meet the good samaritan
Mohamed Asadullah is the Pakistani Quran teacher who has been helping the duped Indian jobseekers with their accommodation and food. Asked about why he’s taking care of the duo, he said: “It’s all about humanity.”
“They came here with their agent after I put an advertisement for vacant spaces at the villa. I then realised that they have been duped. I wanted to help them with whatever I could offer.
“Sharing my food with them is the least I could do. I have been asking my Indian friends to help these guys find a way out. Being an illegal resident is a crime in the UAE. And if they can sort that out faster, the better.”
