Nepali workers, especially from the rural backwaters, aspiring to work overseas continue to be duped by manpower agents. Many such cases have unfolded in India´s capital with Nepali laborers left in the lurch.

Since the beginning of the year, fraudsters posing as manpower agents have made away with over IRs10 million from Nepali laborers bound for Gulf and other countries. Many of the Nepali workers so cheated were left to fend for their own in New Delhi, while others have retuned home. One Anamnagar, Kathmandu, based manpower company, Star Eye, has cheated Bishal Poudel, Madan Kumar Rai and Bishnu Bahadur Shahi of IRs 400,000 each and Ramesh Poudel of IRs 250,000. While Ramesh and Bishal hail from Nawalparasi, Rai is from Tehrathum and Shahi from Tanahu.

“These workers were promised jobs in Dubai and Afghanistan by Deepak Malla of Star Eye. But when Malla went missing from Delhi soon after their arrival here, the workers understood they had been cheated,” Kabi Karki of Help Nepali Mission, a local NGO engaged in helping Nepalis in trouble, said.

Malla along with his partner, Bhesh Bahadur KC, are said to be absconding. The victims have been here since January 9. Malla, 35, hails from Kavre.

In yet another fraud case, it has been revealed that Binod Rimal swindled a sum of IRs 1,100,000 from Padam Bhandari, Santosh Koirala, Ishwor Bhujel and Prakesh Regmi. The victims, who are from Jhapa district, were issued fake visas and air tickets to Canada. Rimal is at large while the boys have been sent home with help from Help Nepali Mission in April.

Similarly, eight Nepali boys from various places of Nepal have reportedly been cheated of IRs 2 million by Purna Kumar Pandey, who hails from Ilam. Pandey is also found to have amassed IRs 2.4 million from Kaji Gurung, Omkar Gurung and Ramesh Adhikari. All were promised jobs in Canada. Surprisingly, after a month´s investigation, the victims have found out that Pandey, who has five wives, used the wives as agents who would lure young boys into their fraudulent net. The couple would then swindle the boys and run off.

“We went to his house in Ilam and found out that he has not returned home after leaving us in Delhi in May,” Thakur Bajgain of Gorkha told Republica over phone from Ilam on Tuesday.

Bajgain, who lives in Gorkha, is one among the eight men cheated by Pandey. He claimed Pandey has taken IRs 500,000 from him.

Last week, social workers caught hold of one Ram Bahadur Basnet who has allegedly taken IRs 450,000 each from his fellow villagers Jhak Bahadur Thapa and Rana Bahadur Karki. All hail from Gulmi. Basnet has claimed that he is the son-in-law of former Nepali ambassador to India Bhek Bahadur Thapa and has also boasted of being close to Deuba faction of the Nepali Congress.

“We have discovered that Basnet actually works at a canteen inside a sports stadium at Pragati Maidan in Delhi,” Kabi Karki informed.

Published on: 16 June 2011 | Republica