Woman allegedly stranded in Riyadh, family seeks EAM Sushma Swaraj's help

A woman reached out to Union Minister Sushma Swaraj for help alleging that her Hyderbad-based sister was stranded in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh. Rehmath Begum told news agency ANI that her sister, Ghousia Begum, was sent to Riyadh by agents allegedly on the pretext of a job offer.

"An agent Tabassum and three other agents had approached my sister Ghousia Begum and offered her a good job in Riyadh saying she will not have much work and can earn well there.

"My sister left for Saudi Arabia on March 14, 2019. When she reached there, her employers started taking heavy work from her and are torturing her continuously. They are also not providing adequate food and water to her. They are also making my sister work in four to five different houses as housemaid," Rehmath Begum claimed.

Rehmath Begum said her family tried contacting the agents who sent Ghousia to Saudi Arabia, but they were unreachable. 

"My sister's employers are not letting her to speak with us. I request External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to rescue my sister as she is facing problems there and is not keeping well," she said.

Read: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Implores All Indians To Leave Libya's Capital Tripoli Immediately Amid Armed Crisis, Says They Will Not Be Able To Be Evacuated Later

Earlier, days after clashes began in Libya's capital city of Tripoli, Sushma Swaraj, Union Minister of External Affairs requested Indian nationals from Tripoli to return to India, citing that they won't be able to evacuate them later. 

The North African country of Libya went into a crisis when Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar ordered his troops to advance on Tripoli, seat of the internationally-recognised Unity government. Haftar's forces opened fired in the western region of the city and had seized key areas of the country's south since the start of the year. NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Since then, dozens of militias have fought for control of the North African country. Haftar's forces have emerged as a key player, opposing the government in Tripoli and backing a parallel administration in the east.

"The time has come," Haftar said in an audio message released at the start of the month, by his self-proclaimed Libyan National Army.