The women, aged 31 and 32, made their getaway yesterday from a flat where they
were locked up, and have been brought to the Indian consulate in Dubai. They
had come to the UAE on September 10 after being offered jobs as cleaners by an
agent in Kerala.
One of them was quoted by gulf news as saying that they were forced to work for
long hours.
"I have three children back home and I came here to work as a cleaner. I have
not been paid at all. I am also scared ... What if I have contracted some
disease," she said.
The woman said the news of her father's death forced her to revolt against the
'agents'. When they refused to entertain any more men, they were both locked up
in the flat as punishment.
"For the first couple of the days the agents' men came with food, but later
their visits stopped. Left alone, we planned our escape. We came across a
screwdriver... Slowly we unscrewed the lock and got out of the flat early in
the morning," said the woman.
K A Mathews, president of the Indian Association Sharjah, said he was in touch
with the department of Non-Resident Indian Affairs in Kerala as well as the
Indian Minister for Overseas Affairs Vayalar Ravi and had given details about
the two women.
