Srinagar, Apr 07 (KNO): A growing number of youth from Kashmir valley are falling prey to a job scam that promises employment in Saudi Arabia but leaves them stranded with low wages, long working hours, and broken promises, an investigation by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) has found.
Not only are they forced into menial jobs with little pay and long shifts, but they're also bound by harsh two-year contracts that strip them of the right to leave or return home.
Local agents, operating mainly from Srinagar and north Kashmir, are charging hefty sums while assuring well-paying jobs, only to send the youth into exploitative conditions abroad.
A tentative survey conducted by KNO has revealed that around 233 youth from Kashmir are currently stuck in similar exploitative conditions across various Gulf countries.
Of them, over 75 percent are earning just 1,100 Saudi Riyals (around Rs 25,000) per month—far less than what they were promised.
Moreover, about 55 percent said they didn’t receive any salary during the first three months of work, pushing them into financial distress. Many remain bound by restrictive contracts, with no way to leave or return home.
Tariq Ahmad, a resident of Arin in Bandipora, is among the victims. “I gave 70,000 rupees to a Srinagar agent who said I’d be working in a zaitoon company,” he said. “But when I reached Mumbai, I was made to sign a contract that mentioned a much lower salary. I called the agent, and he told me to go ahead, promising everything would be fine.”
However, since arriving in Saudi Arabia three months ago, Tariq has been made to work 15 hours a day and hasn’t received any salary.
“I’ve spent everything to come here. I’ve been working day and night, and there’s no money, no help,” he said. In a video that has gone viral online, he says he’s losing hope and may take his own life along with his wife if nothing changes.
Mustafa, another youth from Baramulla, was also promised a respectable job in Saudi Arabia. “They told me it was a good position with a decent salary. But after reaching here, they gave me a delivery job. I’ve already signed a two-year contract. I feel stuck,” he said.
Imran from Kupwara shared a similar account. “I was told I’d work in a hotel. I now clean toilets for 14 hours a day. I didn’t come here for this. I just want to return home.”
“I’m not the only one, there are hundreds of Kashmiris like me who were promised decent jobs in golf clubs, but ended up doing menial work in harsh conditions. We all want to come back, but these two-year contracts have turned our hopes into a trap,” Imran added.
He urged the youth not to fall prey to these agents, saying they have no mercy or concern for the lives they ruin. Imran also appealed to the Jammu & Kashmir Police to launch a thorough investigation into these fraudulent job agencies and agents operating in the region.
Many of these young men including Imran are under pressure from their families back home, who took loans or sold assets to pay the agents.
With no income, no proper food, and contracts that tie them for years, they feel helpless.
KNO also spoke to several Kashmiri youth who have returned home after spending two or more years in Saudi Arabia. Many of them echoed the same distressing experiences as those currently trapped there broken promises, long working hours, low or unpaid salaries, and complete isolation.
Most of them said they were lured by agents with false job offers, only to end up in labour-intensive roles under exploitative conditions. “It was a nightmare I wouldn’t wish on anyone,” said one returnee from Pulwama. “What Tariq and others are facing now is exactly what we went through.”
Families of these people have urged the J&K Police, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Saudi Embassy to investigate the role of travel agents and ensure the safe return of those stranded.
“A series of awareness campaigns have been conducted across the country to educate people about the dangers of fake job rackets,” Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs said. “Over 3,281 illegal agents have been identified on the eMigrate portal till February 2025.”—(KNO)