JALANDHAR / NEW DELHI — In yet another case of fraudulent overseas recruitment, 34 Indian youths—33 from Punjab and one from Rajasthan—remain stranded in Timor-Leste after being deceived by illegal travel agents promising high-paying employment in Australia.
The victims’ families allege that unscrupulous agents extorted nearly ₹3 crore in total, charging between ₹5 lakh and ₹11 lakh per person. Many households raised the sums by mortgaging agricultural land, ancestral homes, and family jewelry. Instead of securing work visas for Australia, the recruits were flown out on tourist visas via Bali and Malaysia, only to be dumped in the Southeast Asian island nation of Timor-Leste.
Forced Labor and Confiscated Passports
According to accounts from returned victims, the group was handed over upon arrival in Dili to a local handler identified as Vijay, reportedly hailing from Baghapurana in Moga district. The youths’ passports were immediately confiscated, leaving them legally vulnerable and unable to leave.
Rather than the promised Australian placements, the men were coerced into low-wage manual labor under harsh conditions. Trapped without valid long-term work permits, the workers faced intimidation, non-payment of wages, and severe shortages of food and basic necessities.
While approximately 10 youths managed to return to India independently by arranging their own emergency travel funds and settling overstay penalties, 34 remain trapped. The stranded individuals represent several Punjab districts: Moga (8), Jalandhar (7), Ferozepur (6), Ludhiana (5), Fazilka (2), and one each from Tarn Taran, Kapurthala, Patiala, and Jalalabad, alongside one youth from Rajasthan.
MP Balbir Singh Seechewal Petitions MEA
The crisis came to light after the stranded workers recorded a video detailing their ordeal from their living quarters in Timor-Leste, appealing for urgent state intervention.
Eight affected families subsequently established contact with Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal via video conference, submitting documentation of the transactions and urging immediate repatriation efforts.
MP Seechewal confirmed he has formally brought the issue to the attention of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), calling for urgent coordination with the Indian Embassy in Dili.
“We are taking up this matter directly with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and senior MEA officials,” Seechewal said. “Immediate steps are required to ensure the physical safety of these youths, secure their travel documentation, and arrange their swift repatriation to India. Strictest legal action must also be initiated against the unregistered agents operating across Punjab who exploit vulnerable job seekers.”
Returned workers Rajpreet Singh and Sandeep Singh of Jalandhar described months of emotional and physical hardship before escaping. Both urged the government to expedite the return of their fellow companions, who face escalating overstay penalties and worsening living conditions with each passing day.
Punjab police and district administrations have been urged to register FIRs under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Immigration Act against the travel syndicates involved in the racket.
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