4 women from Kovai forced to dance in Dubai bar rescued

Following this, Consul General of India to Dubai Vipul said he will write to the State government seeking firm action against the agent who sent the women, all in their twenties, to Dubai.

They were deluded into believing that they would be working for an event management company. When they reached Dubai, their employer locked them in a room and forced to work in a dance bar and solicit customers, said Vipul. According to reports, one of the women managed to send an SOS to her family back home via WhatsApp.

As soon as the message was brought to the attention of Vellamvelly Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs, he alerted the consulate. Vipul said he was thankful to the Dubai Police for their swift response. “After being rescued, they were taken to our shelter. On Saturday, they boarded a flight to Kozhikode,” he added.

The Indian mission in Dubai has urged jobseekers to check their visa status with the Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK), earlier known as Indian Workers’ Resource Centre. In a similar incident, another group of women were rescued from a dance bar last year.