Bogus recruitment agencies on rise

Updated on: Thursday, July 23, 2009

The Office of Protector of Emigrants (OPE) has ruined lives of several people by duping of thousands of rupees by fake recruitment agencies that were given clean chit by the OPE

Mr Palaniappan Sethu, a young construction worker, is a victim of this racket. He was sent back to India from Singapore on the day he landed there in March 2009 after his employer refused to pay a surety amount.

Mr Sethu had paid Rs 80,000 to K.R.M Manpower Recruiting Agency at Maduravoil for a job at a construction site in Singapore.

'Since he was refused entry despite having valid papers, we decided to check on the recruitment agency,'said a police officer.

At least 10 manpower agencies that have been blacklisted continue to send thousands of workers to foreign countries with the connivance of the OPE.

Youth from rural areas pay anywhere between Rs 80,000 and Rs 1,00,000 to get work as labourers in Singapore, Malaysia and even the Middle East.

'Though it is the job of the OPE to ensure that the foreign employer is genuine and that the Indian workers are not abused, officials ignored all the norms and approved several dubious manpower agencies,' said the police officer.

Bogus recruitment agencies on rise

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