9 UP men stranded in Kyrgyzstan after job fraud return to Pilibhit

Pilibhit (UP), Dec 27 (PTI) Nine Pilibhit residents trapped in Kyrgyzstan for the past three months returned home safely on Saturday, officials said.

The remaining three are expected to return by December 30 as their visas are valid until December 31, 2025, they said.

Pilibhit District Magistrate Gyanendra Singh told PTI that the process for the return of the remaining three workers was almost complete, and they would be brought back before the year end.

Gyanendra Singh also appealed to everyone to be vigilant against fraudsters.

All 12 men, who fell victim to a scam, belong to Barkhera, Puranpur, Diyoria and Gajraula police station areas of Pilibhit.

They were allegedly lured by the owner of a recruiting agency in Pilibhit city with the promise of jobs abroad, and paid Rs 2.5 lakh each to him to facilitate the travel and the non-existent job.

The scam was unearthed with a video of Rohit, one of 12 stranded in Kyrgyzstan.

After the revelation, on December 5, his wife, Premvati, and the kin of several more trapped in the Central Asian country contacted the authorities.

Ravi Kumar, Ajay, Chandrapal, Santram, Rohit, Ramesh, Harswaroop, Shyamacharan, Sanjeev, Prempal, Ramasare, and Harishankar were reported to be trapped in different cities of Kyrgyzstan for about three months.

All of them were sent on a 59-day visa with a fraudulent contract.

Upon reaching Kyrgyzstan, the men did not get the jobs as promised and were allegedly held hostage and forced to work at a job they had not signed up for.

They uploaded videos on social media recounting their ordeal, complaining of beatings and not receiving their salaries, and appealed to the Indian government to help them return home.

Superintendent of Police Abhishek Yadav said he has assigned the investigation of the case to the Circle Officer (City).

Earlier, Union Minister Jitin Prasada met the victims' families in Delhi and contacted the Indian Embassy to facilitate their return.

Farmer leader Dev Swaroop Patel met the returning workers in Bareilly on Saturday.

Patel told PTI that tickets had not yet been arranged for Harishankar from Jironia village, Ramasre from Bhuda Pipariya village, and Shyam Charan from Baiju Nagar village.

Smiles returned to their families in the villages when the workers returned.

They requested Prasada, the Pilibhit MP, to take strict action against those who cheated them and help them recover their money. PTI COR NAV VN VN