Nine Indian workers stranded in Saudi Arabia seek govt help to return

Nine Indian migrant workers have been stranded in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, for the past four months after their employer allegedly stopped providing work and confiscated their passports, leaving them helpless and without a way to return to India.

The workers are now appealing to the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and Union minister of external affairs Dr S Jaishankar, to intervene and facilitate their safe repatriation.

Among the group, eight are employed as cleaners and one as a foreman at Abdulla Ali Al Abdulaal EST, a company contracted at a Saudi Aramco site. All were left jobless earlier this year when the company suddenly ceased assigning tasks and failed to renew their work visas.

Confined to their accommodation, the men now live without income, food security, or access to legal support. Their passports remain in the employer’s possession, effectively trapping them in the country.

“We are surviving on biscuits and tea… Some days, not even that. We have to ask our families in India to send us money just to buy food—sometimes we manage, sometimes we don’t. We just want to come home,” one of the workers told Siasat.com over a call, his voice breaking as he described the months of uncertainty and fear. He added that those who questioned the employer were subjected to verbal abuse and physical assault.

Speaking to Siasat.com Indian embassy has pledged to provide all possible assistance.

Watch the video here

This case came to light after the wife and mother of Sudheer Kumar, one of the stranded workers from Nirmal district in Telangana, submitted a petition at the Nirmal District Collector’s office on Tuesday, May 13, seeking urgent government intervention. They later met Swadesh Parikipandla, a member of the Telangana NRI Advisory Committee on Gulf Migrant Workers Welfare, who assured them of support.

Following this, on Wednesday, May 14, Swadesh filed a formal grievance (number GR161366) with the Protector General of Emigrants under the ministry of external affairs (MEA), requesting urgent diplomatic intervention.

Details of stranded Indian workers