Visa Racket Still Active, 35 Indians duped by Recruitment Agent-New Methods used by Visa Agents to dupe Gulf Malayalis -New Methods used by Visa Agents to dupe Gulf Malayalis-

Fake Recruiting Agents Lure Keralite Youth to Gulf promising Lucrative Jobs.

Victims end up as illegal construction workers; carriers of hawala money

Kayamkulam - November 1, 2002. The story of Sreekumar, the son of Pandarathu Veettil Gopala Krishnan Nair, who has been duped by a racket of visa agents in Kerala and their counterparts in the Gulf countries, indicates the common pattern followed by large number of fake visa agents, their wide network in India and Gulf and the modus operandi followed by the gangs to make millions by cheating innocent people.

Sreekumar, an Industrial Training Centre trained electrician, was working as an electrician in and around Kayamkulam when he somehow got an offer from one Shashikumar, Velanchira, Ambalamukku, Kayamkulam, the visa agent to sell an employment visa for electrician in Muscat. According to Sreekumar's relatives, the offer was that in return for the Gulf job which will fetch him RO 100 (equivalent to Indian Rs. 128,000) plus free food and accommodation, the family will have to give RO 90,000 (equivalent to Omani Rial 703 @ One Rial = 128 Indian Rupees). Being a Middle Class family the parents managed to collect the big amount and the deal was stuck.

One Mr.Sugathan from Vallikkunnam in Kayamkulam and Aziz from Calicut (near the University), are the Muscat link of the visa racket. Irionically enough, KM learns that one of these visa agents have been working in Muscat without proper visa and labour card! Even Engineering and M.B A degree holders are recruited offering lucrative jobs, but most probably ended up working in construction sites. They advised Sreekumar to conduct medical test at Al Haseena Medicals, Thiruvananthapuram and send fax copy of the medical certificate to Muscat. In order to convince the victims that they are really getting a lucrative Gulf job, the Kerala agent asked him to send two medical report because the first one was not sufficient. Poor job seeker pay Rs. 3,000 for the two medical certificates. According to information available to KM, the culprits have trapped many unemployed youth from Kerala in this fashion. "There were at least 8 candidates brought by the same agent in Al Haseen Medicals when Sreekumar went to take his medical test," said one of his friends, who hastened to add that on a complaint lodged in Muscat, the police there found large number of medical certificates from various approved medical centers in Kerala. People from Calicut and other parts of Kerala are also recruited in this fashion and it is said that one Lavanya Travels in Calicut has links to dubious manpower consultants in the Gulf.

After all the documents like passport copy, medical certificate etc are sent by fax to Muscat, Mr. Sugathan faxed a copy of the "employment visa" to Shashikumar, his agent there. Surprisingly, the copy of the visa given to job seekers do not contain any trace of the fax number from where the document originated. The modus operandi has been to obtain business visas of one month duration and make some changes to make it an "employment visa". The copy of visa (Number 251284/56 dated 19 August 2002 issued from Muscat in the name of (Name withheld)….Trading) indicated that it is an "employment Visa" with multiple entry. The visa agents obtain these visas, which cost hardly RO 10 ( Rs. 1280) through some dubious companies, which specialise in this trade. "A company in Al Khuwair is giving such visas. Apparently, a lot of such visas are given now following relaxation of tourist and visit visa rules in Oman," said sources.

Shashikumar himself made all arrangements to book an airline ticket on Oman Air, the national carrier of Oman through Kaveri Airtravels, Kayamkulam near Government hospital run by one Mr. Latheef. Later on the travel agent books a ticket in Indian Airlines (Ticket on IC 973 - Seat Number 14 F, August 28, 2002). Here one pertinent question is raised by Sreekumar's relatives. "Airlines are supposed to issue a one way international airline ticket only if the passenger has a valid employment visa. In such case, the Airline has apparently issued single tickets, without verifying whether the visa copy produced in India is a valid one. It needs to be investigated whether there is any mechanism to verify the authenticity of visas issued abroad. The question is why did Oman Air ticket, which was booked in advance, was cancelled and a ticket was issued by Indian Airlines?..

Visa Racket has links to Hawala, Reverse Hawala Groups

On getting his "employment visa" copy, the victims meet Shashikumar in his apartment with the hard cash as agreed earlier. In order to convince the victims that they are going to Muscat or other Gulf destinations as promised by the agent, he counts all the money, but refuses to take the money in India. Instead, he advises the candidates to carry such huge amount of cash and hand over to their representatives in the airport (In this case, Seeb International Airport). The victims do not know that carrying such huge amount of cash (equivalent to Rs. 1 lakh rupees) is a crime.

However, the victims successfully carry this cash to the airport and hands over to the Muscat agent in the airport itself. While some victims carry such huge amount of cash in Indian rupees, there are cases where they convert the rupee into dollar and carry it. Since actually they are coming on business visa, they may be allowed to carry some amount of cash. But the implications of this practice need further investigation.

However, KM understands that some leading Kerala politicians may be involved in the visa racket because the modus operandi of cash transaction is intended to convert this ill-gotten black money into white. Ill-gotten wealth of Indian politicians through bribery, corruption and other malpractices is converted into white money through the hawala and reverse hawala routes. Once the money reaches a foreign destination, it is easy to remit the same amount from anyone's legal accounts in the Gulf to the beneficiaries account in India. Since the law enforcement authorities in India and the Gulf are closely monitoring all financial transactions through legal channels, such illegal channels are providing an alternative means of financing illegal activities like terrorist financing, drug trafficking and smuggling.

Reverse Hawala, the smuggling of Indian currency to the Gulf and converting it into foreign currency through proper banking channels has been becoming a recent phenomenon due to the weakening of Indian rupee and the close scrutiny of legal channels of financial transactions by the law enforcement authorities in India and the Gulf. The racket sends Indian currency to the Gulf countries using housemaids and other workers who are recruited by dubious agents. In the case of housemaids, huge amount of currency notes are hidden inside cocunuts. The hawala dealers remove water from the cocnut, fold Indian currency into small small folders (like a beedi) and hide it inside the cocunut. Then the same is given to housemaid recruits and others as if it is to be presented to some relatives in the Gulf. Similarly, vegetable exporters from Mumbai/Kerala send smuggle Indian currency by hiding it in special packages, which are handed over to special parties in the Gulf. KM is not going into details of hawala business.

Electrician Gets Shock Treatment in the Gulf

In the visa collection counter of the Seeb International Airport itself, Sreekumar noticed that the original visa deposited there is a business visit visa valid for one month. When he asked the agent about it, he was trying to convince him that everything is alright and there is no need to worry about anything.

When the victims reached the airport, the local agents pick them up and put up in their apartment in Seeb (Wadi Jiza area). After one day, they candidate is taken to a manpower company in Al Nahda area of Muscat where a Pakistani will take control of him. The Pakistani will take them to a construction company office where an Egyptian or Arab official will ask them, "Electrician" or any other trade to which they will say "yes." Since the new comers from Kerala to Muscat do not know any language other than Malayalam, they will not be able to communicate effectively. The Pakistani agent will speak to the construction company official in advance and say that the candidate is willing to do any job. Next day he is transported to a location 750 kms away from Muscat where he will find himself trapped in a construction site. where he is asked to work in the road construction project of a leading subcontracting company for Arabian Construction Company.

After the last amnesty scheme in which several thousand illegal expatriate workers left Oman, labour visa norms are strengthened. It has been very difficult for construction companies to get labourers because the local people are not keen to work in construction sites, where they will be exposed to high temperature and poor working conditions. Hence a the dubious recruiting agents have resurfaced to bring large number of expatriates, and in many cases, through cheating. In the construction site located near a beach, workers are living in a tent without electricity, telephone facility or even transport link to main cities.

Shortage of Construction Workers

Sreekumar, who was dreaming about working as an electrician got a real shock when he realized that he had to work like other construction workers for a salary of RO 45 (equivalent to Rs.5760 per month). Since he is on a visit visa for one month, he will naturally become an illegal worker after the visit visa expires. According to Omani labour laws, there is huge amount of fine for overstaying in the country without proper visa and labour card. If he needs to escape from the country, he would have to pay huge amount of penalty to the Ministry of Manpower. If he has to work at this salary in the torching heat of the Arabian desert, Sreekumar would be spending two long years to recover the money he paid for the recruiting agents in India, part of which is definitely going to their local counterparts and their arbaabs. Out of RO 45 salary, he would be spending minimum RO 20 to meet his monthly expenses and food that leaves him with only RO 25 per month. In two years time a construction worker would be saving just RO 600 which is equivalent to Rs. 76,800 only. In addition the visa agent or the local arbab will be demanding some money every month/year for giving him a visa, if he manages to get one. He has to pay for labour card renewal and finance treatment for any medical treatment.

Since Srikumar refused to work as a construction worker, the Pakistani agent from Muscat was called back and the Malayali agents also appeared on the scene. They told him that he was sent to the wrong site due to a mistake in identifying the right person. The Pakistani took him back to Muscat, abused him by saying "Mother chooth, kaam nahee kareegaa" and even intended to beat him up in the vehicle. Later on he was taken to an apartment where one of his colleagues was staying and even locked up inside the room for one night. He was courageous enough to pretend chest pain and get out of the Pakistani Manpower consultants custody. Sugathan and Aziz who brought him to Muscat offering a lucrative job tried to pacify him.

However, realising the dangerous situation he insisted on going back to Kerala. They locked him inside a room and got a written statement which said that he is leaving Muscat on his onw because he did not want to work there. His mother, the Congress Panchayat member, approached Mr. Shivadasan, a prominent Congress leader and the secretary of Non Resident Keralite Affairs Minister M.M. Hussain, who spoke to the recruiting agents. With the support of well wishers the bold Malayali boy brought the issue to the notice of law enforcement authorities in Muscat and got the two culprits arrested from their Seeb residence. According to reports, many people associated with fake visa racket are being monitored by the local police there.

Monitor Kerala Links of Recruitment Racket

Thanks to such a bold step on the part of one of the victims, the culprits and their other agents in the visa network have started sending back many of the Keralite youth who are brought to Muscat in the same fashion. Since they got scared about the implication of further complaints, they took the airline ticket and send many of them back. The racket has also been associated with housemaid recruitment from Kerala and other parts of India.

While the Oman Government machinery is acting against such culprits who have duped many innocent people, will the Kerala Government follow suit and nab the culprits in India? It appears that the visa racket has its deep political supporters in Keral too. It is a shame that such rampant cheating of Keralites is taking place in and around Kayamkulam, the constituency of M.M.Hassan, who is responsible for the overall welfare of Non Resident Keralites. One of the culprits claimed that they are quite "close" to the NORKA minister and even travelled with him. Such self boasting is always made by criminals with the evil intention of duping people. But the Kerala Government should clearly monitor the activities of 90 authorised recruiting agents including one from Kozhikodu, with which the arrested criminals have clear links. One travel agent in Calicut has been regularly sending people in the same manner to work in construction sites. The agents name happened to be in the list of 90 authorised recruiting agents released by the NORKA Minister, just one day after the crime is reported in KM. For the time being we are withholding the dubious agency's name which has surfaced. -keralamonitor.com

39 Indians Disappear in Israel

At least 39 Indians, who were on an invitation from an Irrigation firm, have suddenly "disappeared" and Israeli immigration police have launched a hunt for them, The Indians, who were in Tel Aviv as guests of the Netaffim Irrigation Equipment and Drip Systems Company, reached there a week ago on a 10-day visa but 39 members were found "missing" from their hotel in the coastal city of Netanya, north of Tel Aviv, on Monday, sending alarm bells among immigration authorities here.

The group members had earlier in the week participated in professional training workshops on irrigation sponsored by Netafim and were supposed to have left for India on Monday. Israeli TV channels, Israel Radio and various Herbew newspapers have reported the incident in detail. Indian embassy officials said they had not been officially notified about the incident. A senior Isareli Foreign Ministry officials told that the issue would be investigated thoroughly. "We have to investigate it. These people have vanished without notifying us. The relevant authorities would investigate the issue and their purpose of visit in detail." The official, however, said that the issue was unlikely to have any bearing on Israel's policy towards issuing visas to Indians. Netafim, which has offices in India, has collaboration with Indian companies and its projects are underway in many states, particularly in Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Isareli embassy in New Delhi had last year denied visas to 20 Indian businessmen seeking to attend a commercial exhiibition in Tel Aviv. - According to reports, this is yet another racket of travel agents who conduct regular trips from Kerala to Israel. -keralamonitor.com