Karimnagar: Three migrant workers — two from Jagtial and one from Nizamabad — stranded in Iraq have appealed to the state government for rescue, reporting severe torture from the company owners who hired them. They have not received food or salary for the past five months.
The issue came to light when the families of the three workers submitted a petition at the office of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad.
The workers have been identified as Panga Sattaiah, from Korannapally village in Dharmapuri mandal; Battu Harish, from Sirikonda village in Buggaram mandal; and Orikenadipi Rajanna, from Thalveda village in Nandipet mandal.
Two years ago, an agent from Karimnagar district sent them to Iraq after collecting Rs 2.5 lakh from each of them. They were hired by a company named Samar Ali Shakir, which promised a good salary but only paid them $400 per month.
When the company stopped paying their salaries for the past five months, the workers refused to continue working. However, the management forced them to work without providing food and began beating them when they refused.
Unable to endure the torture, the workers shared their distress with their families, who brought the issue to the attention of the authorities by submitting a petition at the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in Hyderabad.
The families have urged officials to help bring the workers stranded in Iraq back to their hometowns.
In response, the state government promptly contacted the Indian Embassy in Iraq through Central government authorities, sending the workers’ details and requesting their rescue.