LUCKNOW, April 24 -- A 22-year-old man from Sitapur who left home hoping to secure a better livelihood for his family is now lodged in a jail in Oman, allegedly after an agent sent him abroad on invalid visa documents while promising a legitimate job, his family members said. The Sitapur police are looking into the matter, according to an official.

Hasim, a resident of Khanpur village under Reusa police station limits, assisted his family's modest chokha-bati business. With limited income and growing financial pressures, he was determined to find better-paying work overseas.

"He would say he wanted to go abroad, work hard and change our situation," recalled his mother, Noorjahan.

According to the family, that ambition led him into the ...