ALAPPUZHA: Relatives of over 600 Indians, who were recruited through a Mumbai-based consultancy to a company in the United States, are spending anxious moments here after receiving news that the job aspirants were being subjected to mental torture and other hardships.

The 600-odd Indians, majority of whom are from the State, were allegedly recruited by the Mumbai-based Dewan Consultancy, to whom they reportedly paid sums ranging from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.10 lakh after they were promised H2B visas, green cards, family status and jobs as welders and fitters in Signal International, a marine fabrication company in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

However, the situation after they reached the United State was different. According to Mr. Sebastian, whose brother Joseph Jacob is one among the 600, and relatives of the others who addressed the media here on Wednesday, the problems began when the Indian group was forced into small rooms, some of which accommodated up to 27 of them at a time.

Nobody from the group was allowed to look for accommodation outside and when they complained about the sub-standard food, they were allegedly told that their conditions were `better' than what they had in India, Mr. Sebastian said.

The group had paid the demanded sum to one Arvind Associates in Pampady, Kottayam, while the rest of the group had paid the sum to Dewan Consultancy, the relatives said. The group had got their visas in December and though most of them got the jobs, more than $1,000 from their salaries was being held back as food and lodging charges.

Some of the workers were even fired by the company, allegedly after they protested against the poor living conditions. Some were locked in rooms that had

armed guards outside, before being forced to return to India. One person had even attempted suicide and was being treated at a Mississippi hospital now.

Though a Christian charity organisation and local media had intervened to help them, the future of many, after paying huge sums to the consultancy, was still uncertain, the relatives said, adding that they had already written to the Indian Overseas Ministry while those in the United State were planning to approach the Indian Embassy there.

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