Shot in the dark: Pay pending and gone with the wind

An Indian magazine major has unceremoniously shut shop in Dubai after six years of flourishing business. The media house was running the Middle East wing of their lifestyle and movie magazine from the desert city.

Reportedly, the franchise owners have fled UAE, leaving behind staffers and vendors with unpaid dues estimated at 1.3 million AED. Employees inform that they hadn't been getting regular salaries and the company owes them remuneration for the past three months. Freelancers have not been paid since June 2016, buzz suggests.

A Dubai tabloid has reported that the company initially offered to pay them 60 per cent of the dues, but later scaled it down to 40 per cent, announcing cuts across the board. So far, the payments are yet to be cleared. A source informs that the employees have sought legal help as the company heads continue to remain incommunicado.