Job agency tries to cheat youth, busted

TRICHY: Unlike the government-sponsored freebie that is the current craze in the state, a Thanjavur-based private overseas recruitment agency's call to attract candidates for overseas markets had a hidden agenda and a costly catch. Prospective candidates from Trichy region and the delta districts had been called for a "free overseas employment opportunities consultation camp" and they had been sent personal "interview cards" to attend an interview at a Thanjavur hotel from 9 am onwards on Saturday.
There were an estimated 600 jobseekers who had thronged the hotel to avail themselves of the "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity to go to oil-rich gulf countries, and also to Australia and New Zealand. The recruitment agency's "ulterior motive" was revealed when they asked jobseekers to invest Rs 4,500 on the spot. There was chaos at the placement camp because, while a group of naive jobseekers were inclined to part with a small sum that would ultimately give them a chance to fly abroad, others considered it outright cheating since the agency had categorically advertised that it was a free service. A jobseeker who did not want to be identified told TOI that the agency had told them that those who paid the medical expenses immediately would stand a better chance to go abroad.
Those who questioned the agent's action of seeking money upfront were sidelined and a proper explanation was not forthcoming. Some of them smelt a rat in the deal as the organizers stood to gain Rs 25 lakh considering the fact that there were around 600 youngsters at the camp. A youngster asked why the recruitment drive was conducted in a hotel instead of in a school, since it was supposed to be devoid of any processing fee.
As time was ticking, jobseekers grew doubtful of the motives of the organizers, and a few stormed the office to question the rationale behind asking for money upfront. This resulted in a free-for-all. The jobseekers and agents almost came to fisticuffs, and sandals were thrown at each other, forcing the police to be called in.
Thanjavur SP Anil Kumar Giri too visited the spot and took the managing director of the recruitment agency, Raj Prakash, in for questioning. Referring to Raj Prakash, Giri told TOI that he was a cheat. Giri said only a thorough investigation would ferret out the truth, and that he was in pursuit of the same.