Stranded worker gets new passport after his identity thief flees the country

An Indian expatriate worker who was stranded in Bahrain as his former employer stole his identity to leave the country, is returning to India today (Thursday) after overcoming all the hurdles. Anuprasad Sivaprasad who is from the Indian state of Kerala, got his new passport, and is leaving today via Air India flight after his case was closed and everything was cleared.

His employer is said to have taken a copy of Mr Anuprasad’s passport to the embassy, posed as Mr Anuprasad and claimed to have lost his original travel document. He was then issued an out pass by the embassy which enabled him to travel to India using Mr Anuprasad’s identity. Anuprasad was working as a mason since he arrived in the Kingdom in February 2018. He is thankful to the new Indian Ambassador Piyush Srivastava, the immigration authorities, Air India officials and a kind person who donated a an air ticket to him to facilitate his travel today. Sudheer Thirunilath , Director Humanitarian Aid World NRI Council and Pravasi Legal Cell Country Head, told the Daily Tribune that the Indian government has now revoked the passport of the former employer who stole Anuprasad’s identity. Anuprasad ,a bachelor who hails from a poor family in Kerala is also thankful to the MM Team who provided accommodation for him in the Kingdom during his hapless stay. Ever since he came to the Kingdom, his passport was with his employer and he was never paid on time. According to Anuprasad, diplomats at the embassy had confiscated his passport after he showed up at the mission to complain about his ex-employer, who later fled to India with fake identity. ‘I am owed over BD 1000 as salary so I told my employer that I wanted to leave and asked for my passport but he kept delaying it, Anuprasad stated. The 33-year-old man had given a petition to the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and had filed complaints to Indian External Affairs Minister V Muraleedharan and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking their urgent intervention. As the sole breadwinner of the house, Anuprasad was not able to afford food or medicines for his parents due to his unemployment here. ‘We are starving and living deteriorating lives and those who had cheated and manipulated me are living a much better life. I am staying here hopelessly after giving my passport to the embassy without receiving any sort of document,’Anuprasad had stated in his petition.