Indian woman struggles to repay husband's $54,000 debt

An expatriate Indian woman here is reeling under a staggering debt of 200,000 dirhams (around $54,458) taken by her ex-husband in her name eight years ago, a media report said.

The unnamed woman, 47, now a single mother, is living a nightmare after being hounded by banks for personal loans and credit card bills amassed by her former husband, Gulf News reported Wednesday.

The woman, from Mangalore in the south Indian state of Karnataka, now works for a monthly salary of 5,000 dirhams, almost half of what she earned while working in a travel company here in 2006.

"It is hardly enough to pay the EMI of 3,800 dirhams. Initially, I could manage it but after I lost my job, I am barely able to make ends meet and am forced to borrow," the news report quoted woman as saying.

The couple, who came to Dubai in 1996, separated after 11 years of marriage.

Following the separation, the husband fled with all the money borrowed in the woman's name in 2006.

"The mistake I made was to allow my husband to make me the borrower. I had the eligibility, unlike my husband, who was a freelance designer then. But who would have thought that he would ditch me and leave me in this mess?" the woman said.

The man has remained unreachable since the woman won the custody of their daughter, now 18, and a court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has directed him to pay her monthly maintenance, the report stated.

The woman alleged harassment by bank officials who frequented her office and threatened to report the matter to the police.

"I am living a nightmare. My daughter has dropped out of college and I keep getting calls from banks. Their agents often show up at my work place and threaten to report me to police. Fearing arrest and separation from my daughter, I have not left the country for years. I cannot imagine what will happen to her if I go behind bars as we have no one to help us here," she said.