Hyderabad: Two women from Hyderabad are reportedly trapped in Doha, Qatar after being scammed by a travel agent and forced into labour as housemaids.
The women, Khairun Unnisa and Syeda Sameena Begum are cousins from the Roopalal Bazar area in Hyderabad flew to Doha on November 7 after being promised jobs and decent living conditions by a local agent, Noor Jahan Begum. However, upon their arrival in Qatar, they were met by another agent, Majid who handed them over to an Arab family. There, they were allegedly forced to work up to 15 hours a day.
In a letter addressed to the Minister of External Affairs, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, it was revealed that the women had been told they would work six hours a day for 1200 Qatari Riyals. Instead, they are working far beyond the agreed hours without sufficient rest or medical care. Additionally, they have been subjected to physical abuse by women in the family they are employed with.
The letter by the husband of Syeda Sameena Begum written by Mohammed Munawar Uddin urges the Indian government to take immediate action. The letter reads that the situation is dire with both women enduring physical and mental abuse.
The family has called on the Indian Embassy in Doha to intervene and ensure their return to India.
