Sanjay Mallick, like many others who fall prey of false promises of lucrative foreign jobs, had left India for Malaysia in September this year. Little did the 27-year-old know that he would become a victim of a modern-day slavery of sorts.

Ongoing rescue efforts

He is one of the 62 Indians who was sent to Malaysia under the false pretence of securing a job. He was successfully brought back to India from Malaysia on Monday, November 12. The plight of the Indians in Malaysia was first brought to the notice of Kolkata-based NGO National Anti-Trafficking Committee, who also initiated the rescue efforts.

Sheikh Jinnar Ali, chairman of the NGO, while talking to The Logical Indian said that while Mallick is back, 25 others have been identified in various locations in Malaysia. “We are in talks with the Ministry Of External Affairs, the Prime Minister’s Office and the West Bengal Chief Minister’s Office to bring back those who are left stranded.” He informed that the 25 others will be brought back to India in three or four days.

Lured with a false promise

Mallick, a resident of Hoogly, in a conversation with Jinnar Ali, said that an agent had given him the offer and he is the one who lured Mallick to go to Malaysia to earn good money. Mallick said, “I had to give Rs 75,000 in cash to the agent, as he said that the amount is needed for visa and airfare.”

However, in Malaysia, upon arrival, their passports and visas was snatched and they were taken to Kuching, capital of the Malaysian state of Sarawak, he claimed. According to video messages that were sent via social media, those who were held captive in a single room were denied basic amenities like food and medical assistance. He claimed that the workers were “sold” by the Indian agent to a buyer in Malaysia where they were made to work as “slaves.”

Mallick informed that he has worked for seven days, the payment of which came after one month and while the agent in India promised them good pay in exchange of light laborious work, Mallick and others were made to perform difficult tasks, which were not a part of his job description. “They made us carry iron materials which weighed 50 to 60 kgs,” he claimed. Moreover, the men expressed their wishes to return to India, those who were handling them in Malaysia demanded large sums of money in exchange.

The Indian Express spoke to one of the agents in India, Kabir Hussain, who has struck a deal with Mallick earlier and said that their passports might have had been taken for paperwork purposes and since the workers were there on a contract, they will have to give a penalty.

Out of the 61 who are still stuck in Malaysia, 31 are from different districts of West Bengal, while the rest are from Rajasthan, said Jinnar Ali.

Modern-day slavery or trafficking is a big problem in India. Like Sanjay and the 61 others, many Indians, in search of a job and good money are entrapped by agents with ulterior motives. The Logical Indian urges the authorities to look into the matter and rescue others who are stranded. The government also needs to keep a check on the agents who, under the garb of providing jobs, are trafficking innocent people to different foreign nations.

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