Promised Australia, trapped in Timor-Leste: 34 Punjab youths send SOS for return

The victims said they had paid lakhs of rupees to agents and sub-agents in Punjab after being assured of Australian employment paying around Rs 70,000 a month. They were allegedly told that jobs would be available in cafes, factories, hotels and other businesses.

Instead, they say, they were taken to Timor-Leste.

Some were allegedly made to work as construction labourers, while others said they were left without the work they had been promised. They now claim that around 34 youths are staying in a small house, struggling for food and without enough money to return home.

The youths, in their SOS, said they were from different districts of Punjab and had paid Rs 5-11 lakh each to a Bathinda-based agent who has around a dozen sub-agents working under him.

They said they had lodged a complaint against the agent in Timor-Leste and had now recovered their confiscated passports. They appealed to the Indian government and Rajya Sabha MP Seechewal to help bring them home, saying they had no money to survive or pay for their return journey.

Among those who have returned is Rajpreet Singh of Raipur Araiyan in Jalandhar district.

Talking to The Indian Express, Rajpreet, 24, said he left India around two-and-a-half months ago after making arrangements through a local intermediary from Mattepur village in Ludhiana district.

He said around Rs 6 lakh was paid initially, followed by another Rs 3 lakh, and that he was promised an Australian work permit and employment.

Instead, he ended up doing construction-related labour in Timor-Leste.

After around 45 days, he decided to return. He alleged that his passport had been taken and that additional money was demanded when he sought to leave.

Rajpreet has since returned to India after paying a $3,500 fine for overstaying, as he had initially travelled on a tourist visa valid for three weeks.

Sandeep Singh of Bitlan village near Nakodar in Jalandhar, another youth who has returned, told The Indian Express that he left for the overseas job arrangement around four months ago after paying approximately Rs 8 lakh through local intermediaries and a Madhepur-based agent.

He said several sub-agents were involved and had assured him and others of employment.

Instead, he ended up doing labour work in Timor-Leste.

The families of both these youths are financially weak, their relatives said, adding that they arranged the money by borrowing from people and taking loans against small quantities of gold.

‘We are sending money for food’

For Gurmej Singh of Amritsar, the crisis is still unfolding.

He said two young men connected to his family – his nephew Gurmej Singh Ravi and his sister-in-law’s son Shagandeep Singh – remain in Timor-Leste.

According to him, the two youths paid approximately Rs 4.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, respectively, and were promised employment, including hotel-related work, with an expected salary of around Rs 70,000 a month.

Instead, Gurmej said, they have been left without the promised employment and without sufficient money.

Their families are now sending money from Punjab for food.

“That is our immediate concern. They went there to earn. We are now sending them money to eat,” he said.

Both youths are around 19 years old and have completed Class 12, he added.

Government warns against such recruitment

The Indian Embassy in Timor-Leste capital Dili has issued advisories on safe and legal migration, warning Indians about fake overseas job offers, illegal recruitment and overcharging.

The advisory says legitimate overseas employment should be backed by a properly executed employment contract specifying the job and salary. It also advises workers to travel on an appropriate employment or work visa rather than a tourist visa and warns that dealing with unregistered recruiters can expose workers to fraud and difficult living conditions.

MP Seechewal said around eight families and two youths who had returned had approached him over the issue, while nearly 34 youths had sent an SOS seeking help.

He said he would take up the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs.

Seechewal also urged Punjabis not to fall into the trap of unscrupulous travel agents, saying such arrangements often leave young people facing financial losses, mental harassment and pitiable living conditions abroad, while pushing their families into further debt and, in some cases, putting the lives of the youths at risk.