Hyderabad: As job opportunities in the Gulf dry up and scrutiny on illegal recruitment increases, a growing number of Telangana youth are falling prey to agents promising high-paying jobs in Europe and Russia. Many are ending up stranded on tourist or Schengen visas, working long hours for low wages in harsh conditions, with little legal protection or means to return home.The Pravasi Mithra Labour Union said nearly 40% of the complaints it has been receiving recently are from Europe and Russia, signalling a shift from the Gulf countries that traditionally accounted for most distress calls from migrant workers.Many people travelling abroad through illegal recruitment channels in search of better opportunities are getting stranded in countries such as Italy, Finland and Russia, often ending up in low-paying jobs.“Not long ago, most of the complaints were from the Gulf. But now we are getting complaints from Italy, Finland and Russia, among other countries. People are being taken on Schengen visas, saying that they can visit or work in about 30 European countries, and are getting trapped there,” said Swadesh Parkipandla, president of the union.According to him, workers are forced to continue working in fear after reaching these countries as they lack the required documentation. The absence of proper paperwork is also creating complications even in cases of death.“Recently, a Telugu man died in one of the European countries. We are not even able to file a travel insurance claim as we do not have the required paperwork, including the post-mortem report,” he added.Workers who travelled to these countries described conditions akin to confinement, saying they were rarely allowed to step outside.“It’s like we are in prison. After reaching Moscow, they booked us a taxi and we reached our room. Every day, a vehicle comes, picks us up and drops us back. We are locked inside a room and made to work in a packaging firm for 12-14 hours,” said a Nirmal resident currently working in Moscow.He said financial difficulties were preventing him from returning home. “I came here in July. Twelve of us are living in a room and all are from Telangana. The agent cheated us by bringing us on a tourist visa and making us work for long hours without even giving us proper food. People from Bihar and other states left without their money,” he said.The worker said he paid around Rs 3 lakh to the agent and is yet to receive nearly a month’s wages of Rs 80,000 to Rs 90,000.Others said even those who travelled on work visas found conditions far different from what they had been promised, with lower salaries and demanding work schedules.“I was working in a banking firm in the loan processing department. I paid Rs 3 lakh and went there only to realise that I had to do garbage segregation. They did not even provide purified drinking water, and 30 of us were living in one room. More than anything, the pay I got was 30% less than what was promised,” said a 40-year-old man who returned from Russia this month after working there for three months.
