In May 2025, it was reported that “hundreds” of Indian, Nepali and Bangladeshi workers employed in Saudi Arabia by construction company Sendan International have been subjected to wage theft for several months.

The migrant workers are also allegedly living in extremely poor conditions without adequate food or water. Some of the workers with chronic illness are unable to afford medicine. The worker also allege Sendan International is not allowing them to return home.

The workers have appealed to the Indian government for support.

In May, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Sendan International to respond to the allegations. It did not respond.

In September, Human Rights Watch reported that, between June and August 2025, it had interviewed 14 migrant workers from Bangladesh, India and Nepal alleging a range of egregious abuses at Sendan International. At least eight had worked on Saudi Aramco project sites.

Workers said they were unpaid for eight months, and media reports suggest at least 850 workers may have been subjected to wage theft. Stranded workers also reported being provided with "inedible and insufficient" food at accommodation provided by Sendan International. The workers are also paying off loans to cover recruitment fees charged by agencies in origin countries.

Hundreds of workers have allegedly protested or taken to social media; others worked elsewhere without authorization despite the risk of deportation. Sendan International and Saudi Aramco did not respond to Human Rights Watch's request for comment.

Human Rights Watch also found that the company that provides compensation for workers under the government’s Expatriate Worker Wage Insurance Service - Al-Etihad Cooperative Insurance Company - has started collecting information for the workers, but that many who had filed claims had not heard back. The company did not respond to Human Rights Watch's questions about the compensation process.