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Belarus’s Interior Ministry said that information about an Indian citizen who came to Belarus for work and ended up in labor slavery does not correspond to reality.
According to the ministry, officers of the Department for Citizenship and Migration established that in November last year a 38-year-old woman arrived in Belarus for employment purposes. As the Interior Ministry reported, based on a contract with an agricultural enterprise she was issued a temporary residence permit and provided with “housing in a brick building with all amenities.”
“Literally eight days later, the employment relationship with the employer was terminated. Accordingly, the temporary residence permit was annulled. It is known that after this the woman traveled to Russia and then returned to our country,” the ministry said.
According to the woman, an intermediary in India promised her a different job, but after her arrival stopped responding.
“On November 8, 2025, I arrived in Belarus. An agent from India offered me and told me that there is good work in your country: you can harvest crops and earn a decent salary. I paid the agent in my country 500,000 rupees for his services (about $5,500).
In Belarus, I did not get the job that I was promised, and therefore I wanted to return home, but I did not have money for a return ticket. I started calling my agent in India so that he would help me, but his phone was blocked and I could not contact him. I decided to describe my problem on the internet so that someone in my homeland would notice it and help me return home. Now Belarusian police officers are providing me with assistance, and I am very grateful to them for this,” she says in a video published by the Interior Ministry.
According to the ministry, the woman is currently being provided with “all necessary assistance, including assistance related to her return home.”
Internal affairs bodies are conducting a review during which they intend to clarify the circumstances of her stay in Belarus.
“All persons involved are being identified, including employers and intermediaries in her employment, and their actions will be given a legal assessment,” the Interior Ministry said.
“Thus, information on this topic circulating on the internet has not been confirmed. In this regard, we remind that the dissemination of false information entails liability. Belarus is open to law-abiding guests. At the same time, the domestic labor market is under the control of the police and other state bodies. Violations of the law, including by intermediaries involved in recruiting foreigners for employment, will not go unnoticed and may become grounds for holding those responsible accountable,” the press release said.
On the eve, the outlet Divya Bhaskar published the story of a resident of the Indian state of Gujarat named Meena Joshi. The woman claimed that she became a victim of fraud and did not receive the promised job or salary in Belarus. She said she was housed in a cowshed 350–400 km from Minsk. In the video, the woman said she was barely surviving and wanted to return to India but had no money.