Jharkhand worker killed in Saudi, 48 stuck in Tunisia

BOKARO: Basanti Devi wept, clutching a phone that still holds her husband's last voice message. "He said he'd bring gifts for our sons," she said, after Vijay Kumar Mahto , a 35-year-old migrant worker from Giridih district, died from a stray bullet in Saudi Arabia - underscoring the mounting crisis for Jharkhand's workers abroad, with 48 others now trapped in Tunisia without food or pay.

Vijay was employed with Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company. He died Oct 24, eight days after being caught in the crossfire at a work site. "The police were shooting at someone else, but the bullet hit me," he said in a voice message to Basanti on Oct 15. His body is still in Saudi custody.

Vijay's father Surya Narayan Mahto accused the company of negligence.

Legislator Jairam Mahto visited the family. "I have written to the Indian embassy and the Saudi ambassador," he said.

In Tunisia, 48 labourers from Hazaribag, Giridih and Bokaro have been left stranded for three months without pay. They released a video pleading for rescue. Labour superintendent Ranjit Kumar said state authorities had contacted the Indian embassy. "Govt has initiated the process to bring the workers back," he said, adding that the embassy was coordinating with company officials.