This undated photo shows Departure Terminal of Tribhuvan International Airport. (File Photo)
KATHMANDU: Manoj Limbu of Yangbarak in Pathibhara Rural Municipality of Taplejung has been working at a rubber manufacturing company in Malaysia for the past four years. Even though his visa expired 16 months ago, he has continued working at the company instead of returning home.
Gurudatta Subedi, the information officer at the Foreign Employment Board under the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security, said that Manoj has called their call center complaining that he was swindled by a fellow Nepali in Malaysia.
“Manoj has stated in the complaint that Govinda Limbu of Charali, Jhapa, trapped him into a debt of Rs 1.4 million,” Subedi said.
According to Subedi, Govinda took a loan of Rs 1.4 million from the company by using Manoj as a guarantee and then fled. When the company started pressuring Manoj to repay the loan, he found himself in trouble and filed a complaint over the phone. Subedi said that Manoj’s complaint has been forwarded to the Foreign Employment Board and the Nepali Embassy in Malaysia.
Surya Prakash Giri of Waling, Syangja, has been living in the UAE for 11 years now. Subedi said they have received many complaints that Giri has been deceiving Nepalis in the UAE. Giri, in collusion with Indian and Chinese nationals in the UAE, has been luring Nepalis with the promise of employment and then deceiving them.
According to Subedi, Dipak Shrestha of Belbari, Morang, has filed a complaint that Giri deceived him of Rs 700,000 by promising to get him a job in the police force in UAE. Shrestha was working as a security guard in the UAE. He has stated in the complaint that he fell for the swindlers due to the temptation to earn more money working as a UAE police personnel than as a security guard.
There have been complaints that Giri has deceived more than 500 youths like Shrestha in the UAE by luring them with the promise of foreign employment.
“The victims have complained that Giri deceived them by promising jobs as security guards and in UAE police, Royal Guards, and Abu Dhabi Police,” Subedi added.
Complaints have also been filed against Pandav Limbu of Jhapa and Jitendra Rai of Dhankuta for deceiving Nepalis working in Qatar. The victims have stated in the complaints that Pandav and Jitendra have been cheating Nepalis in the name of Qatari Azad visas and visit visas, Subedi said.
“Pandav and Jitendra brought more than 10 women from Dhankuta and Jhapa to Qatar last month. They left for Qatar in the hope of getting Azad and visit visas but were forced to work as domestic help. When they refused to work, we repatriated them with the help of the Nepali Embassy in Doha,” Subedi added.
Subedi also said Pandav and Jitendra lured 14 youths, including Lokendra Dangi of Banke, to Qatar and left them stranded there for three months. In the complaint, the victims have stated that they were charged Rs 300,000 each by promising them a monthly salary of 3,400 Qatari Riyal.
“The victims came back to Nepal with the help of the Nepali Embassy in Nepal and filed complaints against the two at the Department of Foreign Employment,” Subedi added.
Organized Groups Active
Subedi says that organized groups are actively involved in cheating Nepalis.
Complaints have been filed against Rajendra Rawal of Salyan, Prem Bahadur Bohora of Ghorahi, Dang, Shukrant Lumba of Nijgadh, Bara, Rakesh Rai of Udayapur, Milan Thing of Hetauda, Kalu Singh Thing of Taplejung, Pandav Limbu of Jhapa, Jitendra Rai of Dhankuta, Milan Shrestha of Gorkha, Dipak Tamang of Kavre, Pradip Basnet and Nabin Basnet of Dang, and Bikram Shah of Janakpur.
Subedi said needful investigations were underway with the help of the police to bring such individuals and groups to the book. “These groups are targeting former army and police personnel, those who have quit government jobs, and unemployed youths. They have been charging as much as Rs 500,000-700,000 per person,” he added.
