Man reunited with family after eight months

After being stranded in Iraq for eight months, 28-year-old Komaljot, who was among seven youths allegedly duped by a woman agent over promises of jobs, was finally reunited with his family at Kaulsar Mohalla here.

Komaljot reached home on Saturday night where he hugged his daughters affectionately, lifting the older of the two on his shoulder while the other perched on his wife's lap.

"We had shelled out Rs 2.80 lakh to travel agents who had promised us a prosperous life for Komaljot in Iraq. But after he reached there, he faced hell, ran from pillar to post for even a loaf of bread. His documents were taken away," his family told reporters here on Sunday.

"The agents had promised a good job in a posh hotel there, but instead he was stuffed in a room along with others. They did not have any money to come back to India," the family members said.

Komaljot, along with six other men, landed at New Delhi airport on Saturday. He thanked Union minister and Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal for taking up their issues with the external affairs minister who directed the consul general in Erbil to intervene and take necessary steps for their repatriation.

He said the SAD had also arranged return tickets of the seven men who were stuck in Iraq.

The six other youths -- Prabhjot Singh, Amandeep, Sandeep, Saurav, Baljeet and Randeep -- were also reunited with their families.

These men were allegedly duped by a woman travel agent and her relative in December last year.

Cases under sections 420 (cheating) and 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust) of the IPC were registered against the woman travel agent and her relative on May 30, according to Phagwara DSP Manjit Singh.