3 men live on UAE streets after being duped by Indian agent

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Dedasish Debmath, Ajith Runjan Majumdar and Abhijith Majumdar at the Indian embassy.
Dedasish Debmath, Ajith Runjan Majumdar and Abhijith Majumdar at the Indian embassy.

They were promised jobs in the construction sector for a monthly salary of up to Dh1,500.

By Anjana Sankar

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Published: Wed 19 Dec 2018, 7:54 PM

Unscrupulous recruitment agents are herding unsuspecting Indian workers into the UAE on visit visas, promising non-existent jobs - only to later abandon them without food, shelter and salary, Khaleej Times has learnt.
A trio, including a father and son, is the latest victims. They have been forced to sleep rough in Abu Dhabi after being duped by a recruitment agent based in Chennai.
The three men, all hailing from the northeastern state of Tripura, said they were promised jobs in the construction sector for a monthly salary of up to Dh1,500.
"We used our life savings to pay Rs130,000 (Dh6,800) each for an employment visa in the UAE. It is only when we reached the airport that we realised we had been scammed. Instead of the promised employment visa, what we got in our hand was a one-month tourist visa," Ajith Runjan Majumdar, 44, told Khaleej Times.
Majumdar's son, Abhijith Majumdar, 23, and his friend Dedasish Debmath, 26, also fell into the same 'employment trap'.
"I even sold my two-wheeler and mechanical shop, which was my only source of living, to pay for the visa. My father and I have also borrowed heavily from friends and money lenders to cough up the huge amount, all in the hope that we will be able to make enough money in the UAE," said Abhijith.
The men said they "went through hell" as the agent kept moving them from place to place after they landed in Sharjah on September 8.
"We worked at a construction site in Sharjah for more than a month without getting paid, and were later shifted to Fujairah. We were fed one meal a day and had to sleep on the floor with 20 or 30 men, all crammed into a single room," a teary Majumdar  said, describing their plight to Khaleej Times during an interview at the embassy.
After their visit visa expired, the men claimed the agent demanded Dh3,000 more to stamp the employment visa. "The agent in India was threatening to harm us if we went to the embassy. When we started mounting pressure on the agent to go back home, he dumped us in Abu Dhabi two days ago. Since then, we have been sleeping outside a mosque in the freezing cold, without any money or proper food," Abhijith said.
Indian embassy steps in
The men have approached the Indian embassy for help. Officials said they are tightening the noose around unscrupulous agents, who are duping Indian nationals by sidestepping the official eMigrate recruitment portal.
Indian Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri said the embassy has got in touch with police authorities in Tripura to bring the culprits to book.
"Fortunately, we have full details about the agent and have advised the relevant police authorities in the state to take firm action," Suri told Khaleej Times.
He said the embassy is receiving an increasing number of such cases where Indian nationals are getting cheated by unscrupulous agents.
"Last week, we assisted four women and now we have these three men from Tripura. They also came on visit visas after paying exorbitant amounts to an agent for non-existent jobs," said the envoy.
"Our effort is to build awareness about the issue in the relevant states and to create information channels that promptly apprise police authorities about the agents who resort to malpractice," added Suri.
Elaborating on the threat faced by unsuspecting women who are trafficked into the UAE on visit visas, Smita Pant, deputy head of the Indian mission, said more than 400 females had approached the embassy and the consulate in Dubai in the past two years after falling victim to exploitation and trafficking.
"We are trying to crack the whip on the erring agents and get them jailed in India so as to deter others. Last week, an agent in Andhra Pradesh was arrested for sending a woman illegally to the UAE. We urge people to follow the right channels to avoid getting into trouble," said Pant. 
How to avoid getting duped
>Make sure the recruitment agent is licensed 
>All ECR passport holders should come through eMigrate to ensure their employment contract is verified by the embassy
>Non-ECR category jobseekers should verify the authenticity of the employment contract with the embassy 
>It is illegal for women under 30 holding ECR passports to come to the UAE and work as domestic helpers
>Register your details with the embassy or consulate as soon as your land in the UAE
>Keep the emergency contact number 0508995583 so you can reach the embassy if you are in distress
anjana@khaleejtimes.com
 
 


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