Indian migrant worker kicked, hosed and stranded in Malaysia says he can’t return, employer holds his passport

A video that circulated widely this week showed a distressed man being hosed down and kicked for sleeping outside a bank in Kuala Lumpur. The man, identified as 39-year-old Safiudeen Pakkeer Mohamed from Tamil Nadu, said he was forced onto the streets after his employer withheld both his wages and passport, leaving him homeless, unable to work or return to India.

From hope to heartbreak

Mohamed came to Malaysia early in 2024, dreaming of supporting his family-a wife and two small sons-by working as a cook in Sri Gombak, Kuala Lumpur. He said he paid his employer RM 3,500 upfront for a work permit and another RM 1,200 upfront for healthcare. But the reality soon turned grim. Wages were delayed or withheld entirely for months, and refusal to pay eventually left him unable to send money back home.

When he tried to quit, he was told he couldn’t. The employer held his passport effectively preventing him from leaving the country. Without identification or funds, his hope for escape vanished. Without any income and a place to stay, Mohamed ended up sleeping on Kuala Lumpur’s streets six months ago.

Public humiliation captured on video

The viral footage shows a female security guard using a hose to spray him while sitting on the pavement outside an AmBank branch in Taman Maluri. Soon after, a man joins in and kicks him, telling him to move along. The humiliating scene created outrage across social media and deeply shook observers as it underlined the hard realities of migrant life and homelessness on foreign lands.

Desperate to go home yet passport withheld

Mohamed, who spoke to reporters, longs to return to India but cannot. “My boss has my passport,” he said, adding that even the employer’s demand that he pay for his return airfare RM 3,000 is far beyond his means. With no documents, job or resources, he is legally trapped in Malaysia.

Help arrives, but uncertainty still prevails

After the public outcry following the incident, a Malaysian social worker named Tony Lian, locally referred to as “Uncle Tony”, intervened. He has provided Mohamed with temporary shelter and is helping Mohamed negotiate with the employer for the return of his passport. Lian is also trying to raise funds to clear the debts which led Mohamed to Malaysia in the first place.

For now, Mohamed remains unsure of his future. “I just want my passport back and head home,” he said. His story has sparked renewed calls for better protection of migrant workers, stricter enforcement of labour laws, and awareness on the dangers of leaving home with employers holding crucial documents.