Dubious agents kept workers in the dark, herded them to Iraq

HYDERABAD: The Indian government may have stopped granting immigration clearance for travel to Iraq on Friday, but for some this came as a step too late. For, a batch of 27 workers from Andhra Pradesh made their way to Najaf in Iraq as recent as on June 18, sent by Delhi-based agents who kept them in the dark about the advisory issued by India against travelling to the strife-torn country.
Speaking from Iraq to TOI, the workers squarely blamed the agents. "Nobody is working here. We are holding our lives in our hands. I do not know why these culprits sent us here," fumed Rambabu, one of the workers who was hired from West Godavari in Andhra Pradesh.
Recruiting sub-agent Murali Krishna, who hails from Nizamabad, reportedly hired the group for an Iraqi national living in India who recruits manpower for Iraqi companies. Sources said Krishna was able to lure the workers to go to Iraq by promising them $700 every month, though the salary normally offered is around $450 a month.
"We do not know how and why these people boarded the plane. We were surprised and gave them an earful, they should have known better," said one of the co-workers in Iraq, who identified himself as Srini from Srikakulam. When told that there were more workers waiting on standby, he advised against travelling for at least another 20 days.
"Please tell them not to come now. Our employers have deserted us and fled the country while other managerial staff are telling us to stay calm when our lives are in danger. People are trying to leave this country. It is foolhardy to come now," he said on phone.
When discrete enquires were made by this correspondent with the Iraqi national hiring workers under the pretext of representing the group in Delhi, the agent said the group would be able to head to Iraq after June 30. "I am sorry I cannot do anything now. Companies are calling me from Iraq to send people but at this time it is not possible to go. I can send them after June 30. These people have to wait for a few days and we will be able to do something after the end of this month," said the recruiter, Ali Alzubidi.
Meanwhile, panic amongst Indian workers even in cities as far as Basra which is about 550 km away from Baghdad is heightening as employers are refusing to let their employees go. "Many of us here were brought on tourist visa. We have not been paid our salaries for four months. The employers are taking advantage of our situation. We do not have our passports with us and do not have a valid visa. We are being asked to pay money to secure exit, which we do not have. The Indian embassy is not helpful either," said Surdeep Singh from Haryana.
However, several employees of non-Iraqi firms are reportedly being sent home. "Our employers are Turkish and they are planning to leave the country. They are sending us home first," said Sukvinder Singh whose company Dorji is sending nearly 300 Indians back home.