Rajkot: The promise of a well‑paid job in Dubai turned into a year‑long nightmare for a labourer from a village near Upleta in Rajkot district, who was stranded abroad after agents allegedly seized his passport, leaving him jobless and hiding until police and the Indian Embassy intervened.Jagdish Manvar, 35, went to Dubai to escape low wages at home. While he made Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 a month here, he met a visa agent in Junagadh who promised him work as a deliveryman paying Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 a month.This agent was later arrested for allegedly similarly defrauding others, but by then Manvar was already in Dubai.According to Jagdish’s cousin, Narendra, who arranged money for the trip, Jagdish was sent to Dubai on a visitor’s visa with assurances of employment, housing and good pay. The family paid Rs 2.5 lakh to the agent for work visa arrangements.In Dubai, Jagdish was given a work visa for a delivery job, after which local agents allegedly confiscated his passport.“According to the visa conditions, he could only work as a deliveryman and could not do any other work,” Narendra said.Jagdish worked briefly for a tomato sauce company, but that job ended within days. He was left unemployed, staying with a group of Indians while looking for work. His family sent another Rs 50,000 to support him.He would occasional take up labour work at night, while hiding from the authorities, fearing arrest for working without a valid visa.“We kept pleading with the agents to return Jagdish’s passport and other documents so he could return to India, but they demanded Rs 2 lakh to do so. We had no money left,” Narendra said.After approaching several police stations without success, Narendra finally contacted IPS officer Simran Bhardwaj, assistant superintendent of police.“I used my contacts and got in touch with officials at the Indian Embassy in Dubai. I explained the situation and sought help. We got a positive response and Jagdish Manvar returned safely after being stranded there for over a year,” Bhardwaj told TOI.After the intervention, Jagdish got called to the Indian Embassy. He was interviewed and arrangements were made for his return.Jagdish landed back in Ahmedabad on May 7 and later reached Upleta by road. Narendra said the family had exhausted its resources and could not have got Jagdish back without help. He is now exploring legal options to file a complaint against those allegedly involved in the fraud.
