Jeddah: For nearly fifteen days, the lifeless body of 22-year-old Alam Juned lay in the inhospitable deserts near Wadi Dawasir, around 600 km from Riyadh. His body was found partially decomposed and preyed upon by desert ants. A small bag found near the body containing two pairs of clothes and a copy of his passport confirmed his identity.
His body was found after someone in the desert noticed it and informed the police in September. Juned arrived in Saudi Arabia with aspirations for a better future to support his family. An Indian recruitment agency had promised him a job as a salesman in a Riyadh supermarket. However, instead of the promised position, he found himself working as a camel herder in Wadi Dawasir. When he realised that he was duped by the agency, and starting finding his way out.
The young man, a native of Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh, seemingly wandered hundreds of kilometers through the sand dunes, unaware of the way out. He appeared to have made desperate attempts to seek help, water, or a phone in the vast, inhospitable desert, but to no avail.
Despite being newly arrived, Juned was categorised as Huroob (absconded) from the employer, absolving the employer of responsibility. The Indian Embassy in Riyadh repatriated his body back home recently, four months after his demise.
Wadi al-Dawasir, situated on the edge of Rub’ al Khali, the empty quarter, is scarcely inhabited due to its arid conditions. Navigation in this desert is immensely challenging, with the expansive sand making it indiscernible.
The extreme heat exceeding 50 degrees Celsius blurs the mind, making it difficult to focus. When night falls, fear and uncertainty amplify, transforming the landscape into a nightmarish ordeal.
For many Indians unfamiliar with sand terrains and deceived by recruitment agencies, these deserts become an unforeseen struggle, leading them into jobs as camel herders.
An Indian social worker, Sidhikh Tuvvur, aided 51 Indian camel herders, who were allegedly victims of fraudulent methods and had landed in Al Khali desert, to return home with the assistance of Saudi authorities.
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