The frustrated pursuit of happiness

Job rackets leave applicants stranded in a foreign nation, without any support, or
drop them cold in India after extracting lakhs of rupees from them. They only
expand in their scope of nations and innovative strategies. R. Sivaraman traces the
latest trends and gives tips for those seeking jobs abroad
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People are advised not to get enticed by fraudulent or exploi- tative job
offers.
They are requested to exercise extreme caution and verify the
antecedents of recruiting agents... Any one, who has been cheated, is
advised to file a complaint at the Commis- sioner of Police’s Public
Grievance Cell, Vepery - A. ARUN,
Greater Chennai Police Commissioner

Pain and disappointment writ large in his face, Sunil, 40, sat down to narrate his story at a
lodge on Anna Salai in Chennai. Hailing from Malappuram, he began driving an autorickshaw at
his hometown after completing Class X. Since he was struggling to make ends meet, and
inspired by tales of people from his district going abroad, he began dreaming of a better life in
a foreign country. He was directed to an agent at Palavakkam in Chennai.
In the very first meeting, the agent claimed that he had successfully sent many abroad for jobs,
and Sunil was quickly convinced. He paid ₹40,000 to him in processing fees for a job in Israel.
However, thereafter, there was no progress at all for months. Sunil met the agent frequently to
push his case. Every time, the agent collected more money, and altogether Sunil ended up
paying ₹7 lakh, which he mopped up by mortgaging his house, pledging his wife’s jewellery, and
borrowing from relatives.

The agent claimed he had tied up with a tour operator in Israel for sending 46 men and women
en masse as tourists. Tickets for onward and return journeys and hotel rooms were booked in
their names. The plan was that they would travel like tourists and on reaching a famous church
in Jerusalem, would disappear amid the crowd. Later, they would stay in the houses of relatives
or friends who had already settled down as migrant workers and seek jobs. A plan fraught with
danger and rejection, but Sunil went ahead because he was desperate to “go abroad”.
However, the visa was rejected. Neither could he leave Chennai nor was his money repaid. The
agent advised him to stay back and wait for another opportunity, promising this time a job in
Canada. He demanded a further ₹8 lakh, and Sunil coughed it up too, borrowing from every
one he knew.

Forged ID cards

On May 1, the agent sent Sunil forged ID cards and documents identifying him as a senior
scientist in the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) attending a conference of scientists
in Canada. This time the visa came through, but as Sunil tried to board a flight at the Indira
Gandhi International Airport, the authorities came to know that there was no such conference
happening and stopped him. “My dreams are gone. I had to come back and begged the agent
to return the money. Instead of returning the money, he threatened me. I am staying at a
cheap lodge for five months now, and I’ve been starving. If I go back home, all the people who
lent me money will be at my door. So I am hiding in Chennai. My aged father is down with a
terminal illness and my wife is unable to bear this life any more.”

Later, investigation revealed that his agent was running an office as a registered bus travel
operator. His modus operandi was the same: sending people abroad with forged documents
and ID cards as scientists from prestigious research institutions.

But Sunil is far from alone in his predicament. The police say there has been a huge increase in
the number of overseas job-seekers being cheated by unscrupulous recruitment agents. Once
Gulf countries were the most sought-after, but the pattern of migration by unskilled and semi-
skilled aspirants indicates that eastern European nations, including Poland, Romania, Hungary,
Lithuania and Armenia, are popular. South Korea, Israel, and Canada have also come into the
picture.

Recently, it came to light that job-seekers from several districts, especially from South India,
were recruited through illegal manpower agencies and sent to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and
Myanmar on tourist visas. Victims are then held captive in Cambodia or Laos for work in harsh
and restrictive conditions. They are forced to commit online cyber frauds, which is known as
“cyber slavery”.

These agents do not have a licence from the Ministry of External Affairs, which is mandatory to
be involved in any recruitment for work abroad. Typically, they target job-seekers through
advertisements posted on social media platforms such as Telegram, WhatsApp, and Facebook.
In 2023, G. Mohan, an engineer from Erode, saw an advertisement on Facebook. Out of
curiosity, he clicked the link and entered all details sought. Immediately, he received a call from
an agent offering a job in Canada and even permanent residentship. They first collected
₹50,000 for processing papers, and subsequently, he had to pay ₹4.5 lakh. Later, they called
him, informing there was some delay in getting a visa owing to the India-Canada diplomatic
row. “They asked me to go to any European country and work for some time there. It would be
easier to migrate to Canada then. They told me that they would arrange a visa from the
Slovakian embassy. Days went by, but there was no progress towards travelling to any country
or obtaining a visa. They said they would get a visa for another country and demanded more
money. The money I paid has still not been returned,” he recounted.

The police later discovered that Akil, 25, of Ernakulam, and S. Veeraragavan, 29, of Tindivanam,
also had similar experiences. Irrespective of whom they approached, the police found that
some traits were similar.

Tutoring the applicants

These unregistered agents run their illegal operation from outlets such as browsing centres,
tea shops, or petty shops, while some of them have swanky offices, creating the impression of
a travel agency. They also tutored applicants on how to approach visa officers in embassies,
besides supplying forged documents to them. They even tutored them on how to seek asylum
in a foreign country, if they managed to get there.

Many of those who were cheated did not file complaints because they were hoping to get their
money back. Then how could the police zero in on this racket? Only if the forgery was detected
at the processing stage.

In September, last year, Mohammed Irfan Khan of Andhra Pradesh appeared with documents
before the visa processing staff in the U.S. Consulate in Chennai and claimed that he was a
medical professional and wanted a visa to attend a medical expo. All his documents were
found to be fake. In November, Rusheekesh Reddy and Dhivakar Reddy of Andhra Pradesh
were caught when they produced fake documents for visa processing for Kallem Sai Ram
Reddy. Following this trail, the police found out that all fake certificates were generated at a
centre at Villivakkam in Chennai, run by Mohammed Riyas and Mageshwaran since 2019.

Thirumurthy, 30, of Thanjavur, was one of the victims rescued by Indian authorities recently.
He recounted, “We paid ₹4.5 lakh to the middleman who arranged this job for a salary of
$2,000 a month. Eight of us were taken to Sihanoukville, Cambodia, by road from Bangkok. Our
passports were collected by them. Only after landing at the workplace did we realise that it was
a scam. We were detained in wire-fenced buildings. When we refused to do their bidding, they
would beat us up and even give electric shocks.”

He adds, “Our phone and WhatsApp conversations were scrutinised by them constantly. At last,
we managed to send a mail to family members. With the help of a native lawyer, we sought the
assistance of the Indian High Commission, and were rescued.”

R. Viswanathan, vice-president of the Tamil Association in Cambodia, said that based on a

series of complaints from the affected persons, the Indian authorities, with the help of local
officials, rescued the workers, and were trying to put an end to the illegal recruitment and
confinement camps. Recently, the CB-CID registered nine cases and arrested 10 illegal
recruitment agents. Similarly, the Greater Chennai Police, along with the Emigration
Department, raided 10 locations, registered nine cases, and arrested five persons who
operated without licence. The Emigration Department has also identified certain districts as
hotspots where people try to go abroad through illegal means. These include Tiruchi,
Ramanathapuram, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Sivaganga, Madurai, Tiruvannamalai, Perambalur,
and Thiruvarur.

‘File complaints’

Greater Chennai Police Commissioner A. Arun has advised people to be wary of fake
advertisements of foreign employment. Anyone who has been cheated by unauthorised
companies should file a complaint, he has said. Surender, Assistant Commissioner of Police,
Job Racket Wing, says no individual or agency can recruit Indian citizens for overseas
employment without a valid licence. “However, job aspirants get connected to the agents under
the radar. We are working on 60 cases of job rackets.”

The Emigration Department advises those seeking jobs overseas to engage only with licensed
agents. Licensed agents are required to maintain a bank guarantee with the government, and
their operations are monitored and regulated by the offices of Protector of Emigrants (PoE).
These agents undergo stringent inspections and document verification before they are
licensed.

A valid job offer comes along with an employment contract duly signed by the foreign
employer, recruitment agent, and the worker. The contract must mention the terms and
conditions of the job and the salary and other emoluments. Valid offers must allow the worker
to emigrate on the strength of employment or work visa or other similar visas, not on a tourist
visa. As per the Emigration Act, 1983, no recruiting agent shall collect from the prospective
emigrant service charges of more than ₹30,000 plus GST (18%) for services, excluding airfare
and other charges. A receipt has to be issued.

M. Rajkumar, Protector of Emigrants, Chennai, says, “We have 200-odd licensed agents
registered with us. People can see the list of licensed agents on www.emigrate.gov.in and check
whether their agents are licensed or not. We have also opened a column called job
opportunities as of now for ECR (Emigration Clearance Required) countries. Wherever the
licensed agents conduct the interviews, it will be posted here.” He adds that aspirants would be
safe when they go through licensed agents. “When ECR passport-holders go to ECR countries,
we verify everything for them and give them emigration clearance.”

Job-seekers can dial the PoE helpline 9042149222 for more information.