Basant Reddy said scores of Indians were stuck in Iraq and many of them had been jailed from 15 to 20 years.
Hyderabad: Mr Basant Reddy, president of the Gulf Telangana Workers Welfare and Cultural Association of Nizamabad, received appreciation from the Consulate General of India in Erbil, Iraq, for arranging the repatriation of 14 workers back to Telangana.
He said that the Iraqi government had imposed a fine of $26,000 on the group. “When we requested them to reduce the fine amount, they brought it down to $8,000 which the state government paid.”
He said scores of Indians were stuck in Iraq and many of them had been jailed from 15 to 20 years. They couldn’t return to India as they were unable to pay for the visa. These people had migrated in the 1980s, he said. He said the government should improve the skills of people and create jobs for them to prevent migration.
Mr Basant Reddy said there were about 10,000 agents who were sending people to the Gulf countries. “Only 28 agents have licence,” he said.
Mr K. Ravinder, who returned on Wedneday, said the Central and state government should should create awareness among the people about such scams.
