punjab

Updated: May 16, 2017 09:12 IST

A woman from Nurmahal subdivision in this district, who had gone to Saudi Arabia on a three-month tourist visa in January this year, was sold and tortured there, her husband alleged on Monday.

“My wife Sukhwant Kaur is in trouble. She wants to come back home but her passport is with a travel agent who has disappeared now,” Kulwant Singh told Hindustan Times.

In January, Sukhwant, 55, a resident of Ajtani village of Nurmahal, was taken to Saudi Arabia on a three-month visa by a Delhi-based agent.

Kulwant said his wife was in contact with him over phone for a week after she landed in Dubai. But a few days later, her phone got switched off and the agent also did not attend his calls.

Sukhwant Kaur ( Photo: Family )

“On May 7, my wife called me up from a hospital in Hail City of Saudi Arabia. She said the travel agent had sold her to a local resident and she was forced to work as a slave in his house and was being badly treated and even tortured,” he said.

He said Sukhwant has been in the hospital for the past four days and under trauma due to mental and physical torture suffered by her.

“The lady got admitted to the hospital with several internal and external injuries,” a Kerala-based nurse attending on her, who sought anonymity, told HT over phone.

Meanwhile, the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia has assured all possible help to the family after Kulwant made an appeal to external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Twitter.

“Besides Sushma Swaraj, I have requested the state government to extend its help in bringing my wife back to India safely,” Kulwant said.

He said he has also submitted a complaint to the district senior superintendent of police (SSP) against the travel agent.