Chennai: Forty-nine Indian nationals were rescued following an allegation of forced labour at an underground wiring company in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Sources said the victims were the natives of Thalaivankottai village in Kadayanallur in Tirunelveli. They were recruited to work with a wiring company in Kuala Lumpur on July 2018.
According to sources, the victims claimed that they were forced to work without salary by their employer and prohibited them from returning to India.
Since the company had their passports, there wasn’t much the victims could do. They were also threatened to be beaten up and sent back to their country in body bags. The victims were not allowed to contact their family.
As this were, a week back the 49 men managed to escape from the company and sought help from the Tamil association in Malaysia.
The victims told them that they were no longer interested in working as their welfare had been neglected and expressed wishes to return home.
Meanwhile, the Tamil association in Malaysia got an emergency certificate from the Indian embassy and sent them back. They reached the city airport on Wednesday morning.
Fisheries minister D. Jayakumar reportedly arrived at the Chennai airport to welcome them, but the returness were reportedly in no mood to indulge this. The rescued labourers allegedly condemned the lack of involvement of the state government and left in the vehicles arranged by the kin instead of receiving the state’s welcome.
“The case is being investigated under 13 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act 2007,” said sources.
