34 youths from Punjab stranded in Timor-Leste after alleged Australia job fraud

Families say they paid lakhs to agents after being promised jobs in Australia; passports allegedly confiscated, wages withheld

At least 34 Indian youths, most of them from Punjab, are reportedly stranded in Timor-Leste after an alleged overseas employment racket left them stuck in the Southeast Asian nation for nearly five to six months.

The youths had allegedly been promised employment opportunities and eventual passage to Australia by agents who charged their families between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 11 lakh each. Instead, they were taken to Timor-Leste, where their families allege they were deprived of their passports, made to work without wages and subjected to threats and intimidation.

The matter has now reached Rajya Sabha MP and Padma Shri awardee Balbir Singh Seechewal after families of eight of the stranded youths approached him seeking intervention for their safe return to India.

The families visited Seechewal’s dera at Sultanpur Lodhi on Friday and spoke to him through a video call as he is currently in England. Following their appeal, Seechewal contacted the Ministry of External Affairs and sought assistance in facilitating the return of the stranded Indians.

According to the families, agents had assured them that the youths would be provided employment in Australia. Trusting these assurances, several families raised substantial sums by mortgaging houses, agricultural land and jewellery, besides taking loans.

The eight families that approached Seechewal said they had collectively paid around Rs 3 crore to the agents.

The youths reportedly left India from different airports and travelled through routes involving Bali and Malaysia before eventually reaching Timor-Leste. Their journeys lasted between two and six days.

The families alleged that after reaching Timor-Leste, the youths were handed over to a man identified as Vijay, said to be from a village in the Bagha Purana area of Punjab. Their passports were allegedly taken away soon afterwards.

Family members claimed the youths were then compelled to work against their wishes and were threatened when they resisted. They also alleged that wages for the work performed were not paid and that adequate food was not always provided.

The youths eventually protested collectively, following which their passports were returned, according to the families. They said local police later took Vijay into custody.

Around 10 youths have since managed to return to India after arranging their journey themselves and bearing the expenses. However, 34 others are still reportedly awaiting their return.

Of those said to be stranded, eight are from Moga district, seven from Jalandhar, six from Ferozepur, five from Ludhiana and two from Fazilka. One youth each is from Tarn Taran, Kapurthala, Patiala and Jalalabad, while another is from Rajasthan.

The episode attracted attention after the stranded youths released a video describing their situation and appealing to Seechewal to help bring them home.

Two of the youths who have already returned, Sandeep Singh and Rajpreet Singh of Jalandhar, recounted difficult conditions during their stay in Timor-Leste. They said they returned to India along with 10 other youths after considerable difficulty.

They alleged that their passports had been taken from them and that they were subjected to threats and forced to work. Despite working, they claimed, they received no wages and sometimes had to manage with very little food.

The returnees further alleged that other Indian youths had previously been kept under similar circumstances at the same location.

With dozens still stranded, their families are now looking to the Ministry of External Affairs and Indian authorities for urgent intervention to facilitate their safe repatriation. The allegations against the agents and other individuals involved remain subject to investigation.