Woman stuck up in Oman rescued

Chaderghat: Aspiring for good employment prospects in Oman, a woman who took help of a traffic police constable landed in wrong hands in Gulf nation. After working as a slave for months for two Kafeels (sponsors) in Muscat, her relatives back in India helped her come out of the clutches in the foreign country, with the help of a local politician and Union Ministry of External Affairs.

According to MBT leader Amjed Ullah Khan who took up the matter with Union Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, the victim Reshma Begum, a resident of Chaderghat, came into contact with a traffic police constable, Sattar, who offered her a good package of Rs 25,000 per month in Muscat in November 2017. However, her dreams were shattered once she landed in Oman and was received by an agent there. She was forced to work under two Kafeels during the one year period. One tortured her and another made her work for 15 hours under inhuman conditions. “She was being paid only Rs 10,000. However, when she wanted to return back, her Kafeel did not allow and demanded Rs 3 lakh to release her,” he said.

Later her family back in Hyderabad approached Amjed Ullah Khan for help in September last year. He took up her case with Sushma Swaraj and the Ministry for External Affairs directed the Indian Embassy in Muscat to rescue her immediately. The Officials of Indian Embassy in Muscat rescued her and kept her in Embassy Shelter home and pursued the matter. Citing negligence on the part of Chaderghat Police, Amjed Ullah took strong exception on the part of local police Inspector for trying to protect the constable in question.

“Zubeda Begum, sister of Reshma Begum, approached Inspector of police Chderghat for taking necessary action against traffic police constable Sattar for cheating her sister, but even after 3 months, no FIR has been registered and no action taken against Sattar. Instead, the Chaderghat police called Sattar only once to the police station and rather than initiating disciplinary action against him, the higher official scolded the complainant for approaching them against a traffic policeman. The Ministry for External Affairs and Indian Embassy in Muscat repeatedly sought copy of FIR to take up the case in Muscat court as her Kafeel was not releasing her, but the Chaderghat police was busy saving a traffic police constable,” he alleged.