Indian Woman Promised 1.5L Salary in Portugal, Sold To Beer Shop Owner

In a shocking incident, a 28-year-old Indian woman from Nagpur became the victim of an alleged job scam involving a Pune-based consultancy that she found through Instagram. The woman was allegedly trafficked to Portugal in the name of a high-paying job, where she was forced to work at a beer shop and subjected to physical and mental torture.

Going into the details, the consultancy reportedly promised the woman a cashier job in Portugal with a salary of Rs 1.5 lakh per month. She was also told that she would have to work only eight hours a day. The woman paid around Rs 11 lakh in several installments for a visa and other paperwork, police said.

However, as soon as she landed in Portugal, local agents allegedly snatched her passport and locked her in a room for two days. She was then allegedly sold to a beer shop owner. The woman was forced to work there and faced mental and physical torture. When she asked the accused to return her passport, they allegedly demanded more money from her.

After nearly a month of suffering, the woman managed to escape. She first travelled by bus to Lisbon and then went to Madrid. From there, she returned to India via Doha.

After she reached India, the accused allegedly demanded another Rs 3 lakh, saying they would arrange a job for her in Malta. When she refused to pay, they allegedly threatened to kill her husband and implicate her in false cases.

Finally, the woman approached the Pune police. Police have registered a case against eight people, including the operators of the consultancy, on charges related to human trafficking, fraud and extortion. A search is underway to trace the accused, officials said. More details are awaited.