Thiruvananthapuram, March 11 Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan, on Tuesday, urged the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government to take stringent action against fraudulent recruiting agencies that dupe job seekers by charging exorbitant fees for overseas employment opportunities.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the residence of Thomas Gabriel Perera, a 47-year-old Kerala native who was shot dead by Israeli forces while attempting to cross the Jordanian border on February 10, Muraleedharan underlined the urgent need to crack down on illegal recruitment practices.
Muraleedharan, who also paid his last respects to Perera, said, “State governments have a duty to implement measures directed by the Centre to prevent fraudulent recruiting agencies from exploiting job aspirants. It is also the responsibility of job seekers to verify the credentials of agencies before engaging with them.”
Perera's mortal remains arrived in Kerala early Tuesday morning after diplomatic efforts facilitated his repatriation. He had travelled to Jordan on a tourist visa along with three others on February 5, reportedly arranged by a Keralite working in Jordan.
At the time of the shooting incident, Perera's companion Edison, a resident of a coastal village near Thiruvananthapuram, also sustained injuries. While Edison managed to return to Kerala last month with an injured leg, the process of bringing back Perera’s body took longer due to diplomatic procedures.
Meanwhile, in a related development, 283 Indian nationals who were lured abroad with fake job offers and stranded in Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar, were flown back to Delhi from Thailand on Tuesday.
A Kerala government official handling diaspora affairs confirmed that among the rescued individuals, eight are from Kerala. The large-scale repatriation was made possible through coordinated efforts by the Government of India.
The incidents highlight the growing menace of fraudulent overseas job scams, prompting calls for stricter enforcement and regulatory oversight to protect job seekers from falling prey to unscrupulous agents.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor