Sumi Akhtar, a housemaid whose video appealing for help after alleged torture by her employer in Saudi Arabia went viral on social media, has finally returned home.
Sumi arrived at the Shahjajal International Airport (HSIA) by an Air Arabia flight (G9 517, at 7:15am on Friday, said an official of Expatriate Welfare Desk.
The Director of the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board Md Zahirul Islam received her at the airport. The officer-in-charge of the Expatriates’ Welfare Desk assisted her in carrying out the formalities.
But Sumi was not allowed to speak to the media although there were many journalists at the airport. Even, she was not allowed to meet her husband Nurul Islam at the airport. Their children were also there. Sumi departed the airport from Terminal-1.
Later, a team of the Expatriates’ Welfare Board took Sumi in a vehicle and it headed for her village home Boirati Senpara of Boda upazila in Panchagarh under tight security.
She will be handed over to her father Md Rafiqul
Islam and mother Mallicka Begum in presence of Boda Upazila Nirbahi Officer Syed Mahmood Hasan, officials of Expatriate Welfare Desk said.
Sumi’s husband Nurul Islam told media, “I am very happy to see that Sumi has returned home finally.” He also thanked the government and media for their help in bringing her wife back to the country.
Earlier on November 12, the video of Sumi, a 25-year-old housemaid worked at Saudi Arabia went viral on social media platforms including Facebook and YouTube, where she was seen begging for help in returning home after alleged torture while working as a housekeeper for a Saudi family
In the video, she said, “They [my employers] will kill me. Please, take me back to my country. I want to return to my children and family. I will die if I have to stay here longer.”
Her video with the plea to save her life also hogged global media headlines.
Later, her husband lodged a general diary with Paltan police station in the capital in this regard.
Following the media reports, Saudi police took her to the Consulate General of Bangladesh in Jeddah from her employer’s home, but the employer refused to sign off on her “final exit” before recouping the 22,000 riyal he paid for her.
He eventually allowed her to leave after a labour court rejected his plea for the repayment of the “dues”.
Finally, she was brought back with the help of the Bangladesh Government and BRAC migration programme.
Sumi went to Saudi Arabia as a domestic help on May 30 through Ruposhi Bangla Overseas, a recruiting agency.
UNB adds: Saudi Arabia has sent back 86 more Bangladeshis, taking the number of deportees to 1,647 in the last two weeks.
A Saudi Airlines flight carrying 86 deportees landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 11:20pm on Thursday.
Tales of misery by the deportees are almost similar to those told by other Bangladeshi workers deported earlier.
Liton, who went to the Kingdom just 45 days ago, said he had been deported despite having a valid visa.
Dulal Hossain from Brahmanbaria said Saudi police picked him up when he was going to the market and deported him.
“I went there six months ago spending Tk 4.5 lakh,” he added.
Some of the deportees alleged that the employers (Kafil) did not provide residence permits (Akama) even after paying the necessary amount.
When police detain a worker, the employer does not take responsibility and instructs to deport him, they said.
