Telangana migrant dies in Uzbekistan, family awaits mortal remains

Hyderabad: A Telangana family has been waiting for 24 days for the mortal remains of Sanga Suresh, a 33-year-old migrant worker who died suddenly while working in Uzbekistan. They are urging immediate government intervention to bring him home.

Suresh, a B Sc, B Ed graduate from Kottapedur village in Dasturabad Mandal, Nirmal district, went abroad hoping to secure a better future for his wife, two young children, and family. He had earlier worked as a private school teacher and in Kuwait as a luggage handler before deciding to take up overseas work again.

He and four others from his village each paid Rs 2.3 lakh to a local sub-agent in Lingapur, Kadam Mandal, for a visa. They spent nine days in Delhi before travelling to Tashkent, where they were given 15 days of unpaid training at a tourist hotel by a Gujarati supervisor named Bahubal. The promised salary was USD 600 per month.

On July 21, just four days after starting work, Suresh suffered a heart attack and died on the way to hospital.

Since then, his family has been trying to repatriate the body. They allege that the local agent has been demanding additional money for sending the remains, saying he could only arrange transport up to Delhi, not Hyderabad, and has been delaying the process

On Monday, August 11, Suresh’s wife, Sangha Mamatha, accompanied by their two young children and his uncle Jinka Bhoomanna, met Nirmal District Collector Abhilash Abhinav during the Prajavani grievance programme. The Collector assured immediate action to bring the body home.

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== — Sanga Suresh’s wife and children submit a petition seeking the return of his body from Uzbekistan.

Later, they met NRI Advisory Committee member Swadesh Parikipandla and submitted a petition seeking both the swift repatriation of the remains and a refund of the money paid to the agent.

Swadesh shared with Siasat.com on Wednesday, August 13, an official email from the Protector of Emigrants (PoE) Delhi, which confirmed that the employer could only send the body from Uzbekistan to Delhi. The family has requested that it be flown directly to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad — the nearest airport to their home.

The PoE correspondence also identified Bahubal, the hotel owner linked to the case, as a native of Gujarat, providing his contact details for further action.