Hyderabad, June 27 -- In a distressing case of migrant labour exploitation, 15 Indian workers have been left stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) without wages, food, or water, after being recruited by Hyderabad-based utility firm Masai Contracting LLC.

The workers, hailing from Jharkhand's Hazaribagh and Giridih districts, were hired by contractor Tirupati Ranga Reddy and sent to the UAE in January 2024. Initially deployed in Dubai to lay transmission lines, they were later shifted to Hamim, a remote area on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, where their situation drastically worsened.

Churaman Mahto, one of the stranded workers, said they were promised a monthly salary of Dirham 1,700 (Rs 39,579) and were asked to pay for their own fli...