How 3 Tamil Nadu men pulled off daring boat escape from Kuwait

Mumbai, Feb 7 (PTI) Three Tamil Nadu residents, driven by the promise of a better future, ventured to Kuwait two years ago in pursuit of opportunity but their aspirations turned into a harrowing tale of alleged physical and mental abuse over two years, culminating in a daring escape.

Their desperate bid to escape involved stealing their employer's boat and enduring a ten-day ordeal surviving on nothing but bread and jam and intended to reach their home state, but found themselves before the Gateway of India in Mumbai where they were arrested by the police.

Their lawyer Sunil Pandey said the trio -- Nitso Ditto (31), Vijay Vinay Anthony (29), and J Sahayatta Anish (29) -- wanted to escape from their employer Abdulla Sharheed, a Kuwaiti national as the three claimed that they were often subjected to physical and mental abuse.

They reportedly endured unpaid wages and physical assault when they requested their due pay.

Pandey said their accounts shed light on the darker side of migrant labour and the perils faced by those seeking a brighter future abroad.

Police have so far found nothing against the three, who have been remanded to police custody till February 10 by a local court here.

With their travel documents, including their passports being held by Sharheed, the three attempted to seek help from local authorities in Kuwait as well as the Indian embassy there but found no relief.

Subsequently, they executed a plan to escape, informing Sharheed that they were going fishing and then fleeing with a boat filled with 6,000 litres of diesel.

According to Pandey, the three were initially told they would be doing work related to fishing. However, they were later made to do menial jobs and were not even paid wages.

The lawyer highlighted the trio's difficult circumstances, stating that they hailed from impoverished families and were subjected to torment and humiliation by their employer in Kuwait.

"They (three accused persons) belong to poor Indian families. They were tormented and subjected to torture and humiliation in Kuwait by their employer," he said.

The police, who seized the GPS from the boat, said that the three had travelled through several countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai, Muscat, Oman, and Pakistan before reaching Indian shores.

The police have charged them under the Passport (Entry into India) Rules, as no person can enter the country without valid documents. PTI AVI SP SKL NP