Hyderabad: A 25-year-old worker from Telangana is facing a travel ban in Dubai after a bank account in his name was allegedly misused by two individuals. The family of the victim, M Ganga Prasad from Velpur in Nizamabad district, approached ‘Pravasi Prajavani’ on July 25 and addressed a letter to chief minister A Revanth Reddy outlining the problem he is facing.“We have taken up the issue with the police, acting on the complaint made by the family, which has named two individuals from Telangana itself in connection with the fraud. The govt will send a letter to the Consul General of India in Dubai requesting legal assistance for him,” said Mandha Bheem Reddy, vice-chairperson of the NRI advisory committee, speaking to STOI on Saturday.Prasad’s case is unusual in the sense, four years ago, he was promised an IT-related job in the UAE. Two agents, one from Nizamabad and the other from Hyderabad, facilitated his travel, assuring him that he would eventually be sent to Europe on a work visa. The agents also collected 8.7 lakh from the victim.On Nov 23, 2021, he landed in Dubai from India for work there. However, the promised IT job never materialised. What has now landed Prasad in trouble is that the two agents opened a bank account in his name and had him sign a rental agreement for a flat they took in Dubai. They also obtained signed cheques from him. When the landlord did not receive rent for a period, he approached the police. It was on April 13, 2025, while Prasad was returning to India, that he was stopped at the airport by immigration authorities. He subsequently approached the Sharjah police on April 15 and was informed that a case had been filed against him concerning a tenancy dispute. Prasad was taken into custody and produced before the court. He paid AED 4,000 immediately and was released on bail.“However, he is still liable to pay AED 23,000 (approximately 5.4 lakh) to settle the case and have the travel ban lifted,” Prasad’s father, M Bojanna, stated in the letter to CM A Revanth Reddy seeking assistance. Prasad’s brother, M Sai Prasad, told STOI that they had also submitted a representation to the Nizamabad police, urging them to take action against the alleged job agents who defrauded his brother. As he didn’t have a job, Prasad supported himself by working as a cook, his brother added. Although he had no IT qualifications, the agents had promised him an IT-related job, allegedly to ‘build his profile’ for eventual relocation to Europe. MSID:: 123061141 413 |
