Indian Students TrappedThat modern-day slavery is very much a reality has been proven true once again. The issue came to light in Wales, UK, where 50 Indian students who looked ‘hungry’ were rescued in recent times.

The students who went to the UK on student visas were lured to convert them into skilled workers visas by a group of people who were more or less ‘supplying’ them to Welsh care homes.

The students have been victims of modern slavery and labor abuse in the UK over the past 14 months, according to UK authorities. The five suspects exploited the situation of students between December 2021 and May 2022.

Those accused include Mathew Issac, 32, Jinu Cherian, 30, Eldhose Cherian, 25, Eldhose Kuriachan, 25, and Jacob Liju, 47 – all of whom are originally from Kerala, India. Also, all of them either worked in care homes themselves or were connected to family members working at the residencies.

For now, none of them have been sentenced. But breaching slavery and trafficking order would mean five years sentence. While the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) found the students to be perpetually hungry and believed they were underpaid or their pay was blocked.

Last year, UK universities raised concerns about the issue when they discovered the trend and how the students were being lured via social media adverts. Meanwhile, the Indian authorities have asked the students to approach GLAA for support and also offered help.