The Jharkhand government on Thursday said 30 workers from the state are currently "trapped" in Malaysia, and the process to bring them home was underway.
The workers, residents of Giridih, Hazaribag and Bokaro districts, had been working as linemen for a construction company since January 2019.
According to a statement issued by the government, the contractor was holding the workers back, despite the employment agreement having expired.
It also said that the workers were not paid their dues over the past four months.
"The Labour Department has started the process of bringing back 30 workers trapped in Malaysia to Jharkhand on the instructions of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.... The High Commissioner of India in Malaysia, B N Reddy, has been requested to intervene in the matter," the statement said.