Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai (MS)
Dubai, Jul 21: The online fraudsters are now using WhatsApp as a channel to recruit gullible people to gulf countries. In one such fraud, nine Indian men fell victim to a racketeer in Kerala and are now stuck in UAE without a job or food, Khaleej Times reported.
These men, who are in the age group of 20 to 30 years, say that they were lured by a person called Shafeeq on WhatsApp, who promised them jobs in UAE and asked them to pay Rs 70,000 each. All of them are in Ajman and Al Ain areas of UAE and are having tough time as they do not have money even to buy food.
One of the victims, Fazil, a resident of Malappuram district in Kerala, said, "A message was going viral on WhatsApp in Kerala that a person is offering jobs for youth in UAE within 15 days. I thought, like many, that this must be genuine as many people were posting positive messages about the post,"
"When I called up the person on the number that was provided in the WhatsApp message, the guy said that he would get me a job in one of the supermarkets in Al Ain with a monthly salary of AED 1,200 with free food and accommodation. As I was passing through a financial crisis, I thought this as a good offer. I bought loan by pledging my mother's gold ornaments," explained worried Fazil, who is a qualified technician.
Mohammed Rafeeq (30), one of the nine stranded men, a resident of Kozhikode, said that he had accumulated the required Rs 70,000 from friends and family to realize his dream of working in the gulf. He says, "The agent made a separate WhatsApp group for these nine men and promised that they all would be working for the same company. This made us happy." Mohammed is married and has a child.
The men came to know that they have been taken for a ride as soon as they landed in Abu Dhabi airport on July 15. Shameer, a local agent, who met the nine, divided them into two groups of four and five men and took four to Ajman and five to Al Ain. On questioning about the jobs, he said that the owner of the said supermarket is in prison and the firm is closed and he will find new jobs for the nine men.
The Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi came to know about the ordeal of the youths and is giving them an allowance and making arrangements to get them back to India. Mohammed Rafeeq regrets his decision now and says that he should have made a thorough inquiry about the agent before accepting the offer.
Indian embassy, time and again has warned that Indians should not to bypass any rules and should follow the procedures properly while coming to the Gulf for employment. The embassy has even conducted an awareness campaign on social media. However, it seems the citizens are not paying attention and are falling victim to the dragnet of bogus employers and agents.
This is not the first case reported this year. In the month of June, five men were brought by some bogus agent to UAE on visit visas and left abandoned. In the preceding week, five men from Kerala were brought to UAE on visit visas with the promise of jobs in packaging company, which turned out to be fake.
The plight of women, who come to the UAE as domestic help is the most miserable as most of them end up as prostitutes. Other men folk face tough times with no job or menial jobs with meager salaries and filthy living conditions.
Ambassador Navdeep Singh Suri says that they have repeatedly told ECR passport holders not to come to UAE on visit visa seeking a job. Smita Pant, deputy chief of mission at the embassy says that they are pushing to deter the fraud agents from duping gullible people by registering cases against them. As many as 40 cases have been already registered and the police in India are pursuing these unscrupulous agents.
Pant also says that the victims should bring such cases to the notice of the embassy so that the culprits are brought to book.
Indians in distress can always approach the embassy on hotline 80046342.