Jharkhand nurse trapped in Dubai over false debt faces forced domestic work

UPDATE - follow-up to Jharkhand nurse's dream of Dubai job turns into nightmare: 'Just want to come back': Thirty-five-year-old nurse Monica Kachhap from Ranchi remains stranded in Dubai after falling victim to an Instagram recruitment scam. Last year, Monica contacted an agent named Priyanka Arya who promised her a well-paying nursing job in the Gulf region. To help pay her ailing mother's mounting medical bills, Monica sent her passport to Delhi and later travelled to Dubai in May after getting her passport back. ## The Trap in Dubai Upon reaching Sharjah, a driver took her passport immediately and brought her to a residence, then to an office in Ajman. There, she met Priyanka's husband Ritesh Kumar and Mohammad Meraj Ansari, who made her put her thumb impression on documents in Arabic and English. Monica soon discovered the papers stated she owed a debt of 12,600 dirhams, plus interest totaling 14,000 dirhams, threatening her with jail if unpaid. ## Forced Labour Instead of nursing, she was forced to do household chores at various homes and look after patients and children, struggling because she did not know Arabic. When she asked to return home due to her mother's illness, Ansari threatened that she would rot in Dubai without work unless she paid the money. Her passport was confiscated, though she confirmed she faced no physical or sexual abuse. ## Family Action and Police Response Monica's father, Ratna, has filed an FIR against Priyanka, Ritesh, Ansari, and the agency AMD Trend Solution LLC for forced labour and fraud. Ratna had also paid Rs 15,000 to Priyanka through UPI in April. Sub-Inspector Pankaj Sharma of the Airport Police Station confirmed the FIR, stating authorities are in touch with the Indian Embassy to safely bring Monika back. ## Context This case highlights the growing risks faced by job seekers from India who fall victim to fraudulent overseas placement agencies operating via social media platforms. Unregulated agents frequently use deceptive contracts and passport confiscation to trap vulnerable workers in foreign countries under false debts. Families in such distress often rely on state government intervention and diplomatic channels through Indian embassies to secure the repatriation of trapped citizens.