Mangaluru : The chances of 53 Indian youths—stranded in Kuwait due to a job fraud—returning soon to the country have increased after the shoon office (labour office) in the Gulf country decided to cancel their visas on Monday.
The youths include 33 from Mangaluru. In a meeting held on Monday, it was also decided to pay their pending salaries.
However, there is still confusion on who will pay the flight tickets to bring the stranded youths to India. According to sources, each person needs at least Rs 25,000 as flight charge, but they are unable to arrange the same.
The Monday’s meeting was attended by officials of Indian Embassy in Kuwait, shoon office, CEO of ENASCO company and the stranded youths. It has been decided to cancel the visa and also hand over the pending salaries. They will be given the pending salary of 40 Kuwaiti Dinar. The passports are handed over to Indian Embassy in Kuwait. Meanwhile, the fate of 21 other youth will be decided soon.
“The visa cancellation of 53 youth will be done in two or three working days. However, the question still remains on who will sponsor their flight tickets. The recruiting agency, Manikya Associates, and political representatives had assured of help but there is no clarity from them,” said an expat working in Kuwait.
As many as 34 youths from Dakshina Kannada have been trapped in Kuwait for the past six months due to alleged job fraud by a blacklisted recruitment agency. Their plight came to light after a video went viral on social media, in which the stranded youth were heard saying they went to Kuwait on employment visa through the city-based placement agency. However, after landing in Kuwait, they realised that they were cheated.