A Bahraini sponsor is suspected of kidnapping and torturing his runaway worker, the Gulf Daily News reported last week.

The Indian worker, K. T. Najeeb, 44, ran away from his sponsor four years ago because he was not receiving salaries, and since then was doing odd jobs to make ends meet. On January 9th, the sponsor located the worker in Manama, kidnapped him and locked him up in an apartment in Hoora. For four days Najeeb was held there without any food, as he was repeatedly assaulted by several men. According to Najeeb, the sponsor demanded 2,000 Bahraini dinars ($5,300) from him for his release.

When a friend of Najeeb's called his phone, the sponsor demanded the sum of money from him; he refused to discuss the matter with Indian embassy officials without receiving money. After torturing the worker, the sponsor brought him to the police and reported him as a runaway. In a clear act of perverted justice, Najeeb was then sent to a detention center in Asry.