A 48-year-old woman from Golconda, Hyderabad, named Fareeda Begum has claimed she was trafficked to Muscat, Oman. Fareeda said she was drawn to the Gulf country by a woman named Shenaz Begum who offered her a job as a housemaid. Fareeda’s sister has written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar requesting that Fareeda be rescued from the Arab country. Fareeda Begum was reportedly promised a salary of 1,400 Dirhams (around Rs 31,700) in Dubai apart from accommodation and meals.
The saga began when Fareeda Begum was seeking a job to support her financially poor family. Reports say that when she was in India, she was offered the job of a housemaid in Dubai and not Oman. Moreover, Fareeda was assured that she can return to India if finds the job unsatisfactory. Subsequently, Fareeda accepted the job offer and left for Dubai on 4th November 2023. She went to the UAE on a visitor visa valid for 30 days. She was given the job to work as a housemaid in an Arab’s home upon her arrival in Dubai.
Fareeda became ill after working for a month and asked to go back home to India. The agent, however, refused to return her passport. Following this, she was admitted to the hospital. Afterwards, the agent trafficked Fareeda Begum to Muscat, Oman, promising her return to India. Meanwhile, her health worsened, and she was diagnosed with a kidney infection.
Fareeda’s sister Fahmeeda Begum requested in her letter that the Minister of External Affairs rescue her sister. Taking to X, Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) spokesperson Amjed Ullah Khan shared the Hyderabad woman’s information as well as her sister’s request to Dr S Jaishankar to rescue Fareeda from Oman.
Fahmeeda Begum from Hyderabad, Telangana appealed @DrSJaishankar to rescue her sister Fareeda Begum stuck up in Muscat,Oman. She was promised a job in Dubai, UAE by a lady agent Shenaz Begum and after working for one month there was trafficked to Muscat, Oman and sold there.She… pic.twitter.com/a5Rnp0dSRo
— Amjed Ullah Khan MBT (@amjedmbt) January 4, 2024
Fareeda also pleaded with the central government to save her in an emotional video. In the video, she can be heard whispering, claiming that she was told to keep her voice soft. Fareeda stated that she was in a lot of pain and that her children and husband were concerned for her.
Embassy officials have spoken with Fareeda Begum. All assistance will be provided for her early repatriation in coordination with local authorities.
— India in Oman (Embassy of India, Muscat) (@Indemb_Muscat) January 5, 2024
Responding to Amjed Ullah Khan’s X post, the Indian Embassy in Oman informed that the officials are in contact with the affected woman and requisite assistance will be provided to her for her repatriation. “Embassy officials have spoken with Fareeda Begum. All assistance will be provided for her early repatriation in coordination with local authorities,” the Indian Embassy in Oman posted.
Speaking to PTI, Fahmeeda said, “My sister, Fareeda Begum, went to Dubai for work through an agent, but she fell sick after 21 days of working there. In that condition, she was again sent to Muscat for work. She is unable to even talk on the phone as her health continues to deteriorate. I request that the Indian Embassy rescue my sister and bring her back home.”
