Smuggled Telangana native Rathod Namdev traced in Saudi; Indian embassies intensify rescue efforts

Hyderabad: The location of Telangana native Rathod Namdev, who was illegally smuggled from Kuwait to Saudi Arabia by his foreign employer, has been traced.

He was found to be working in a desert near Khafji, a town on the border between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Khafji is part of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Region along the coast of the Persian Gulf, located at a distance of 130 km from Kuwait City.

Namdev shared his location details with his family residing in Mudhole village of Nirmal district. The details were also shared with officials and government agencies.

Indian embassies in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are working jointly under the supervision of the External Affairs Ministry in India to rescue Rathod and repatriate him back to his native country.

However, the task involves legal hurdles as Rathod, who came to work with a valid Kuwait visa has been shifted to Saudi Arabia without proper documentation.

TPCC NRI Cell Convenor Mandha Bheem Reddy, who is following up on Rathod's issue with the Union government and agencies, stated that authorities are exploring all legal options and technicalities in this case. The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and other formalities are being looked into by Indian embassies in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Rathod is being paid just Rs 20k per monthly salary

Bheem Reddy spoke to Rathod Namdev over the phone and told him not to lose hope as the Indian government is doing everything to bring him back to his homeland. Rathod told him that he was being paid Rs 20,000 monthly salary by his Kuwait employer, who is depositing three months' salary once every quarter into the bank account of his son, who is pursuing PG at Telangana University in Nizamabad. His daughter, who completed Graduation, was married recently and he was unable to attend it. Rathod, who belongs to the Lambada community said that he wanted to put in extra effort at work to get better pay in Kuwait just to ensure a better future for his children, but all his dreams came crashing down.

Rathod shares his ordeal

Rathod stated that he, along with a UP native Raju, is working as a camel herder. “Every morning from 6 am to 11 am, we would take out 40 camels into the desert and then bring them back to the green tent. He stated that he would give water and fodder to the camels while his co-worker milked the camels every day,” he said.

"The Kuwait employer and his father oversee us for the entire day. On a few occasions, they beat me mercilessly and even hit me with their jeep to threaten me. If I tried to escape they would not hesitate to harm me or kill me. If camels become ill, they rope in a veterinary doctor for a check-up. However, if the laborer gets indisposed they don't bother at all," rued Rathod while sharing details with Bheem Reddy.

The thought of leaving baby camels pains me

Rathod has developed an attachment with the camels for the last 8 months and the thought of leaving them, especially baby camels pains him immensely.

However, the cruelties of his employer, high temperatures in the desert, and difficult working conditions are forcing me to leave this job, stated, Rathod, who is counting the days to return home at the earliest and reunite with his family.