It is alleged that as many as 49 Odia labourers from Odisha and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh have been exploited in Malaysia for the last couple of months.
The mater came to light when one of the Odia labourers, Suresh Chandra Gouda (39) of Talasing village in Gajapati district, returned and narrated his plight.
He alleged that in October last, one laxmi of the laxmisai Industrial company in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh had lured him on the pretext of providing job with a monthly salary of over Rs 30,000 in Malaysia. She demanded Rs 1,20,000 from Gouda to go to Malaysia. Gouda managed to give Rs 65,000 to her. later, 39 labourers from Odisha and 11 from Andhra were sent to Malaysia via plane in the same month in lieu of Rs 1,20,000.
Gouda further alleged that they were engaged as labourers in several small hotels instead of any company in Malaysia.
After their work, the innocent labourers used to be kept in captivity in an enclosed room, said teary eyed Gouda, who has spent five months there.
He was getting Rs 13,600 per 40 days.
Due to his physical injuries during work, Gouda was sent to Visakhapatnam, from where he took a bus to Palasa. Some locals admitted him to a private hospital, where he underwent treatment for two days.
The ill-fated labourer has requested the district administration and the State Government to take immediate steps to release the rest workers from Malaysia.