Amarinder Singh thanked Sushma Swaraj for making Sukhwant Kaur's return to India possible
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for ensuring the return of a 55-year-old woman from Jalandhar, who was sold and tortured in Saudi Arabia.
He also promised a time-bound action plan by his government to prevent unscrupulous travel agents from duping innocent people.
Ms Swaraj had yesterday apprised Singh of the situation.
The chief minister had deputed the Additional District Commissioner, Amritsar to receive Sukhwant Kaur as she landed at Guru Ram Dass International Airport in Amritsar today.
With the External Affairs Ministry's intervention, Ms Kaur, who was forced to work in Saudi Arabia as a slave and was also tortured, finally reunited with her family this afternoon, said a spokesperson of the Chief Minister's Office.
He added that Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was highly appreciative of Sushma Swaraj's efforts in ensuring Sukhwant Kaur's safe return.
The chief minister urged the external affairs minister to use all the political and diplomatic channels to put an end to the illegal practice of travel agents, who fraudulently send innocent people abroad, where they are victimised in various ways.
Talking to reporters at the Amritsar airport, Ms Kaur revealed that after having worked in Saudi Arabia as a domestic help for a month, when she asked her employer about her wages, she was informed that she was sold to the family by the Delhi-based travel agent who had taken Rs 40,000 from her to send her to that country.
Sukhwant Kaur thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and others who made her return to India possible.
Ms Kaur's relatives as well as the residents of her native village of Ajtani, near Nurmahal in Punjab's Jalandhar district, were also present at the airport to receive her.