Hyderabad Woman Forced to Work 15 Hours Without Pay in Oman Seeks Government Help

The story of Shabnam Begum is a heart-wrenching reminder of how fast a dream of supporting one’s family can become a nightmare of isolation and exploitation. For a mother of four from Pahadi Shareef in Hyderabad, working abroad in Oman was supposed to be a lifeline. Instead, it turned into a four-month ordeal that stripped her of her dignity, her wages and, for a while, her voice.

The Truth Behind the Promise

Shabnam left for Muscat on 26 March 2026 with the promise of a regular income of 200 Omani Riyals. But what she found was anything but the promised stability. Instead of working for one household, she was reportedly forced to work for several homes, working 12 to 15 hours a day, every day.

Her toll was not just physical exhaustion. She says she was denied proper food, adequate rest and basic human consideration. Worst of all was the financial entrapment – after four months of back-breaking work, she has not received one single penny of the salary owed to her. It must have been devastating for a woman who left her children to support them to find that her labour was being stolen.

The Frantic Search for Safety

The breaking point came when the conditions became “simply unbearable". A video was recorded successfully in which she is heard complaining about not being given a mobile phone and being forced to work day and night.

Her escape was not an exit to freedom but an escape to safety; she is currently under the protection of the Indian Embassy in Muscat. For her family back in Hyderabad, these days are defined by one crushing uncertainty. Each hour without a home is a reminder of their powerlessness as they wait for bureaucratic wheels to turn.

A Call for Accountability

It’s not just about one woman. This is a systemic problem, and it is about recruitment agents who lure vulnerable people and see them as commodities, not as human beings. The demand from her family and community advocates for harsh action against the agent who sent her is a cry for justice that goes beyond Shabnam’s own case.