Hyderabad: A 26-year-old Hyderabad woman has appealed to the Indian government to rescue her and bring her home after claiming she was abused while working in Oman.
Shabnam Begum, a resident of Pahadi Shareef, travelled to Muscat on March 26, 2026, after being promised a housemaid’s job with a monthly salary of 200 Omani riyals.
The case came to light after Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) leader Amjed Ullah Khan shared Shabnam’s video along with a letter from her husband, Mohammed Chand, seeking the Centre’s intervention.
Shabnam recounts alleged abuse
In the video, Shabnam appealed to the Indian government for help. She said she was made to work in several houses for 12 to 15 hours a day, was denied proper food and accommodation, and was not paid three months’ salary.
She also claimed that staff at the office where she was taken beat her after she asked to return to India. According to Shabnam, she was not allowed to use a mobile phone for one-and-a-half months, leaving her unable to contact her family.
Shabnam said she escaped and has been staying at the Embassy of India in Muscat for the past eight days. She claimed around 130 women are also staying at the mission while waiting to return to their home countries. She further alleged that her passport is still with the recruitment agent.
Watch the video here
Holding back tears in the video, Shabnam said her four children—three daughters and a son—are waiting for her in Hyderabad. She urged the Indian government to rescue her and arrange her return to India.
Husband seeks Centre’s intervention
In his letter to External Affairs Minister (MEA) S Jaishankar, Mohammed Chand alleged that his wife was recruited by a local agent identified as Arshad, who promised her a job in Oman. He requested the MEA to arrange her immediate repatriation and take action against the agent.
Copies of Shabnam’s passport, Oman visa and the representation submitted to the Ministry of External Affairs were shared along with the appeal.
At the time of publication, neither the MEA nor the Embassy of India in Muscat had issued a statement on the matter.
