UAE, Saudi Arabia top destinations for duping workers from Punjab

CHANDIGARH: UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, were among the most favoured destinations among gullible youths from Chandigarh and Punjab, to go and secure a comfortable future. City-based unscrupulous travel agents, who were dealing in work permit visa without a valid licence were getting maximum queries for these nations. It was jobs in construction companies, electrical assignments and driving that attracted youth from the region.

Agents were charging anything between Rs 7 to 10 lakh from the applicants to arrange these petty jobs for them. In most of the cases these youths did not get any job and often landed in jail on the charges of entering foreign land without any legal document.

"These agents work purely on illegal basis. They are not authorized to deal with work permit and do not have any links with overseas companies. They just show big dreams and rob poor people. They only have their touts in Gulf countries, who take all the visa documents and passports of the applicants once they reach there," P Malakar, protector of emigrants (Chandigarh), told TOI.

"They used to portray countries like UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan as rich destinations for skilled and unskilled workers, and were getting maximum queries for these. In some cases, youths landed in jail and in others they had to work in the most inhuman conditions for several months without being paid a single penny," he pointed out.

In such circumstances, we were also helpless, as they have chosen the illegitimate way to go abroad, stated Malakar.

Chandigarh Police had sealed the offices of 20 agents (in different sectors), who were running this business without licence. Two persons were also arrested in this case. Now, police is conducting raids at these offices and have confiscated illegal documents and catalogues.