Nine residents of Pilibhit, stranded in Kyrgyzstan for three months due to a job scam, have returned home. Authorities are working to bring back three more by December 30.
India
-Krishna Kripa
Nine
residents
from
Pilibhit,
who
were
stuck
in
Kyrgyzstan
for
three
months,
have
safely
returned
home.
Officials
stated
that
the
remaining
three
are
expected
back
by
December
30,
as
their
visas
remain
valid
until
December
31,
2025.
The
District
Magistrate
of
Pilibhit,
Gyanendra
Singh,
confirmed
that
arrangements
for
their
return
are
nearly
complete.
image
Nine
residents
of
Pilibhit,
stranded
in
Kyrgyzstan
for
three
months
due
to
a
job
scam,
have
returned
home.
Authorities
are
working
to
bring
back
three
more
by
December
30.
Gyanendra
Singh
urged
people
to
be
cautious
of
fraudulent
schemes.
The
twelve
men,
hailing
from
Barkhera,
Puranpur,
Diyoria,
and
Gajraula
areas
of
Pilibhit,
were
victims
of
a
scam.
They
were
promised
jobs
abroad
by
a
recruiting
agency
owner
in
Pilibhit
city
and
paid
Rs
2.5
lakh
each
for
travel
and
non-existent
employment
opportunities.
Fraudulent
Job
Offers
in
Kyrgyzstan
The
scam
came
to
light
when
a
video
of
Rohit,
one
of
the
stranded
individuals,
surfaced.
On
December
5,
his
wife
Premvati
and
other
relatives
contacted
authorities
after
learning
about
the
situation.
The
group
included
Ravi
Kumar,
Ajay,
Chandrapal,
Santram,
Rohit,
Ramesh,
Harswaroop,
Shyamacharan,
Sanjeev,
Prempal,
Ramasare,
and
Harishankar.
These
men
were
sent
to
Kyrgyzstan
on
a
59-day
visa
with
fraudulent
contracts.
Upon
arrival,
they
found
no
jobs
as
promised
and
were
allegedly
held
against
their
will.
They
were
forced
to
work
in
roles
they
hadn’t
agreed
to
and
shared
videos
online
detailing
their
plight.
They
reported
beatings
and
unpaid
wages
while
appealing
for
help
from
the
Indian
government.
Efforts
for
Safe
Return
Superintendent
of
Police
Abhishek
Yadav
has
tasked
the
Circle
Officer
City
with
investigating
the
case.
Union
Minister
Jitin
Prasada
met
with
the
victims’
families
in
Delhi
and
contacted
the
Indian
Embassy
to
assist
in
their
return.
Farmer
leader
Dev
Swaroop
Patel
met
the
returning
workers
in
Bareilly
on
Saturday.
Patel
mentioned
that
tickets
had
not
yet
been
arranged
for
Harishankar
from
Jironia
village,
Ramasre
from
Bhuda
Pipariya
village,
and
Shyam
Charan
from
Baiju
Nagar
village.
The
families
expressed
relief
upon
their
return
and
requested
Prasada
to
take
strict
action
against
those
responsible
for
the
scam.
The
families
also
urged
Prasada
to
help
them
recover
the
money
they
lost
to
the
fraudsters.
Smiles
returned
to
their
villages
as
they
welcomed
back
their
loved
ones
who
had
endured
such
hardships
abroad.
With
inputs
from
PTI
