Kallakurichi woman rescued in Kuwait after SOS video alleges torture, unpaid wages

Tamil Nadu police booked an employment agent after domestic worker Vanitha was rescued in Kuwait following an SOS video alleging torture, starvation and unpaid wages. Her mother filed a complaint, alleging the agent deceived her about the safety of overseas employment

Kallakurichi (Tamil Nadu): Police in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi district booked on Friday a local employment agent after a domestic worker, who was allegedly duped by him, was rescued in Kuwait following a desperate SOS video she posted detailing severe torture she was undergoing.

Responding to the viral video, officials swiftly intervened in the matter on Friday. In the clip, the woman, identified as Vanitha, pleaded for her life and talked about extreme cruelty, starvation, and unpaid wages she endured at the hands of her overseas employers. “I am Vanitha, who had sought the Indian Embassy’s help to rescue me. Now, I am in the Indian Embassy. Thank you, Indian Embassy. I have good dress and good food now,” she said in a follow-up video, supposedly recorded inside the embassy.

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The ordeal came to light when Vanitha, a mother of two, recorded her initial SOS message from a cramped room with her head covered. She stated she had traveled to Kuwait three months ago, but was denied her salary for the past two months. With folded hands, she made a direct appeal to the Kallakurichi District Collector and Superintendent of Police to rescue her before her employers could kill her.

Following the widespread sharing of her video online, authorities in Tamil Nadu quickly traced her family. Her mother, Vennila, lodged a formal complaint with the district administration, stating that the employment agent had deceived her daughter regarding the nature and safety of the domestic work abroad. Kallakurichi Superintendent of Police Shahnaz confirmed that district officials verified the family’s identity based on the video. An FIR has been registered against the agent based on Vennila’s complaint, and local police have initiated legal action against him.