The workers were taken by a manpower agency based in Kathmandu, New Delhi and Madagascar with promise of good work and handsome salary. They had paid around Rs 300,000 each. “Although we do not have bilateral ties with Madagascar, we are trying our best to help the stranded citizens as we are the closest mission,” said Bharat Regmi, the consular at Nepali Embassy in South Africa.

 

Regmi said there has been a rise in the trafficking of workers in recent years and the embassy helped around 40 stranded Nepalis return home this year. According to Khadga Bahadur Dahal, one of the stranded workers, the hotel owner has cut off the power and water supply in their room after they failed to clear the bills. He said that Shyam Ale Magar, Lal Babu Thakur, Shyam Shrestha, and Aashish Tamang were with him in the same hotel, while other groups were taking shelter in other hotels.  According to the workers, they were sent by Sunil Shahi, Khem Bahadur Rai, and Yadav Nepali.  Hari Singh Dhami of the Foreign Employment Department said one of the agents has been arrested.