Bangladesh News

Cheated by brokers and a section of officials of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab) and immigration department, 31 women who were about to fly for Lebanon from Dhaka on Friday are now left in total uncertainty about their future.

The poor rural women, who sold their belongings and took loans from relatives and others at high interest for getting jobs as domestic help in the Middle East country, have been kept at a shelter home of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association (BNWLA) in the capital.

The victims are now too worried if they would ever get back their money — Tk 50,000 to Tk 1 lakh each– that they gave to the brokers without any documents.

“How shall I go back home now and what shall I tell my husband and our three kids?” asked a bewildered Shahnaj of Singair, Manikganj.

Shahnaj gave Tk 70,000 to a broker, Joynal Abedin, six months ago when he promised her a job in Saudi Arabia. But later he refused to keep his promise on the plea that she was physically unfit.

She borrowed the money from a relative at a monthly interest of 10 percent and now the interest alone totals more than Tk 40,000. “I waited for six months dreaming of a job abroad but now you see our plight,” she told this correspondent at the shelter home yesterday.

“I could not even buy milk for my baby for want of money,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Earlier, Shahnaj had gone to Dubai, worked as a domestic help and returned home five years ago with a good amount of savings. But a relative cheated her of Tk 90,000 putting her in distress.

She came to Dhaka Thursday evening as asked by Joynal, who then gave her some documents including a passport.

“I along with some other women went to the airport (Zia International Airport) at about midnight and was sitting there (at the lounge). An official wanted to see my documents and then declared those invalid,” she said.

Another woman of the group, Jamila, 25, also from Manikganj, gave Tk 55,000 to a broker. She had borrowed the entire amount. The passport she carried was a forged one carrying her photo but some other’s name and address, said the illiterate woman narrating her plight.

“Manpower (BMET) officials sent me to immigration section. Two officials refused to okay my papers but another sent me to a particular official, who checked the papers and allowed to me to go the waiting room (lounge),” she said.

A number of other victims spoke of similar sufferings.

At the shelter home, the women were seen crying while talking to their relatives over telephone. “I do not know when and how to go home. I don’t think I can go abroad anymore,” said Saleha from Savar.

BNWLA Executive Director Advocate Salma Ali said they will keep the women under their shelter and will try to send them back to their houses. They will also give them legal assistance, if needed, she said.

Meanwhile, Special Branch (SB) of police filed a case against 38 people, including brokers and officials of Caab and BMET.

The SB on Friday detained BMET Welfare Officer Mohammad Shahjalal, and computer operators Mosharraf Hossain, Hasan Jahirul and Hafizur Rahman and one Biman official Ramzan Ali from ZIA in this connection.

The police are interrogating the detainees but they could not yet catch any brokers.