- By Ajeet Kumar
- Tue, 09 Jun 2026 04:05 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Odisha woman Hasta Mahananda trapped in UAE for seven years.
- Rescued after social media video and court intervention.
- Indian authorities facilitated repatriation and financial aid.
For years, migrant workers have travelled legally to Middle Eastern countries, only for sponsors to confiscate their vital documents. Recently, a similar case emerged in the UAE, where an Indian woman from Odisha was trapped for seven years with her passport seized. Thanks to a social media video and a verified date of birth, she has finally returned home to Odisha.
According to a report by Khaleej Times, Hasta Mahananda, a single-mother of three daughters, hailing from Odisha, a tribal-dominated state, had first travelled to the UAE through a sponsor company. Later, the company employed her as a housemaid.
No communication from family
She told the local media that her employer allowed her to visit home only once, nearly four years ago. Since then, she had been working as a housemaid. Her employer cut all communication channels back in India.
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A date of birth and a social media video
However, she managed to record a video narrating the whole ordeal and put it on a social media platform. It was then that the world came to know about her serious issue. Luckily, at the same time, her relatives took the matter to the Odisha High Court, which alerted the Indian authorities. The Ministry of External Affairs then contacted the consulate in the UAE. Upon investigation, the officials did not find a clue due to several errors in the documentation process. Her name was mentioned differently from what was mentioned by their relatives in the High Court.
The safety and welfare of Indian nationals remains our highest priority.
— India in Dubai (@cgidubai) June 7, 2026
Heartening to see the successful repatriation and reunion of an Indian national from Odisha with her family after years apart. The Consulate continues to extend every possible assistance to Indians in… https://t.co/hRAAJTmeG4
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The rescue operation was set in motion when members of the Odia Samaj flagged a brief Facebook appeal to Indian consular officials. Because the video contained no identifying details, the initial search stalled. However, a critical breakthrough came when the Odisha High Court stepped in, providing a birth date that allowed investigators to jumpstart the case.
Overcoming administrative hurdles
The search faced immediate roadblocks when consular teams tracking her passport in New Delhi discovered she had been registered under a different name. Investigators were forced to meticulously sift through years of visa histories and immigration records before successfully identifying her sponsor, employer, and local UAE contacts.
Following direct intervention by Indian authorities, a company representative accompanied Mahananda to the Consulate General in Dubai on May 12.
During official discussions, she confirmed she was safe but revealed she had been repeatedly denied permission by her employer to travel back to India.
Financial aid and repatriation
Consular officials immediately directed the employer to cancel her visa, regularise her exit documentation, and settle all outstanding financial dues, including unpaid salary and end-of-service benefits.
Because Mahananda lacked a bank account and the financial means to finalise her departure, the mission utilised the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICW Fund) to bridge the gap. The fund covered her overstay penalties, financed two weeks of temporary accommodation, and secured her flight ticket.
Mahananda has since landed safely in India, where she is finally being reunited with her three daughters in Odisha.