Dubai: Four Indian women who were tricked into working as bar dancers in Dubai were rescued by the police following a tip-off from the Indian consulate, the media reported. The women, from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, flew back to India after they were rescued, Gulf News reported. Consul General of India in Dubai Vipul said the ordeal of the women, all in their 20s, began shortly after they landed in Dubai.
"They were deluded into believing that they will be working for an event management company. However, when they reached Dubai, their employer locked them in a room. The women were then forced to work in a dance bar and solicit customers," Vipul said.
According to reports, one of the women managed to send an SOS to her family back home through WhatsApp. As soon as the message was brought to the attention of Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Vellamvelly Muraleedharan, he alerted the consulate, which then informed Dubai Police. Vipul said he was thankful to the Dubai Police for their swift response and added that he will write to the Tamil Nadu government seeking firm action against the agent who sent the women to Dubai.
The case follows a similar incident in 2018 when another group of women were rescued from a dance bar in Dubai at the behest of the Indian consulate. Among them was a 21-year-old from Hyderabad who was lured to Dubai on the pretext that she would be getting a job in a jewellery store.
