HYDERABAD/ NEW DELHI: A Hyderabad woman has alleged that she was forced to work up to 15 hours a day, denied wages for months and subjected to poor living conditions after travelling to Oman for a housemaid’s job.The woman was identified as Shabnam Begum from Telangana’s Pahadi Shareef. The embassy Embassy of India in Muscat has said it has taken “cognisance of the matter” and that the case is being “taken up at appropriate levels.” According to a self-recorded video sent to Hyderabad politician and Majlis Bachao Tehreek leader Amjed Ullah Khan, Begum travelled to Muscat on March 26 after a local recruitment agent allegedly promised her a housemaid’s job. In a post on X, Khan appealed to external affairs minister S Jaishankar to intervene in the case. “Shabnam Begum, a resident of Pahadi Shareef, Hyderabad, was allegedly lured to Muscat, Oman by a local agent with the promise of a housemaid job offering 200 Omani Riyals/month. After reaching Oman on 26 March 2026, she was allegedly forced to work in different houses for 12–15 hours daily, denied proper food and accommodation, and was not paid any salary for four months,” he wrote. Khan said Begum was “Unable to bear the alleged torture,” after which “she escaped and is presently at the Embassy of India in Muscat seeking help.” He further urged Jaishankar to direct the Indian Embassy in Muscat to ensure her safety and arrange her immediate repatriation to Hyderabad. He also sought action against the recruitment agent who allegedly sent her abroad under false promises. Responding to Khan’s post on X, the Embassy of India in Muscat said, “The embassy has taken cognisance of the matter and is being taken up at appropriate levels.”
