Promised Job in Croatia, Stranded in Armenia: Kerala Man Loses Rs 3L in Job Scam
The agency, which showed him the dream of a job in Croatia, was operating without a license, and is now defunct.
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Francis (name changed), a 26-year-old graphic designer from Kerala's Thrissur, was eager to apply for jobs overseas for a better pay. At the local news channel where he was working back in 2022, his salary was Rs 25,000 per month.
He decided to resign and start job hunting.
After a year of unsuccessful attempts, in May 2023, he approached a visa agency in Thrissur – and applied for a job of a warehouse worker at a logistics company in Croatia.
“As the agency offered jobs in multiple countries, including those in Europe, I chose Croatia as my preferred destination. I was promised a job within four months with a salary of nearly Rs 1 lakh,” he tells The Quint.
Francis now works at a courier service company in Kochi after his dream of moving to Croatia was never realised. And the agency, which ran by the name of Iqra Guru LLC and operated out of Thrissur, is now defunct.
'Got Tired of Waiting'
Six months after Francis completed the application process – having submitted his passport, CV, police clearance certificate, and other documents – he "got tired of waiting".
He then joined the visa agency as an employee "because I wanted to be on the inside," he says.
When The Quint asked Francis for his joining letter, he explained that his employment was "based on word-of-mouth" since the agency was operating without the mandatory license. Agencies like Iqra Guru LLC are mandated to register themselves with the Protector of Emigrants under the Emigration Act, 1983 (Section 10).
Soon after he joined the agency, in December 2023, the agency asked Francis to accompany some of their 'clients' to Armenia.
Francis spent two months in Dubai before flying to the Armenian capital Yerevan. Upon reaching there, he immediately started his hunt for a job, along with at least three others from Kerala's Kottayam district who were sent by the same agency.
Even as the agency took care of their food and accommodation, they failed to secure employment for any of them. Eventually, the three others borrowed money from home and returned to Kerala. Francis, too, ultimately did the same.
After staying in Armenia for six months, he flew back to Kerala in September 2024 with his parents' help. He told The Quint that he didn't get any salary during that period.
A Shift from Middle East to Europe
Francis' story is one of thousands in Kerala who unscrupulous visa agents have deceived in 2024 alone.
A state that has as many as 2.2 million residents working overseas – and accounted for 20 percent of India's total remittance in 2023 (as per Kerala Migration Survey 2023) – has seen a sharp rise in overseas job scams. Kerala reported about 1,300 cases in 2024, according to two officials aware of the matter.
The official's claim couldn't be corroborated as such fraud cases are recorded as 'general cheating cases' under the State Crime Records Bureau, with data only available through the NRI Cell of Kerala Police. Further, Kerala is among the few Indian states with such a department.
There's another notable trend in Kerala – many are increasingly opting for jobs in European countries over the Middle East.
With negative population growth, European countries such as Poland, Latvia, and Estonia have become popular destinations for Kerala's emigrants, he adds. The weakened Indian rupee has become an added incentive, he says, as it makes it easier for workers to repay money they borrowed back home.
According to the Kerala Migration Survey 2023, the number of people moving to GCC countries reduced to 80.5 percent in 2023 from 89.2 percent in 2018. But migration to non-GCC countries reported an increase from 10.8 percent in 2018 to 19.5 percent in 2023.
The Mounting Debt Trap
Atul Raj, 33, an ITI graduate in electronics from Thrissur, met Muzammil, the owner of Iqra Guru LLC, at a tea shop in early 2023. Raj was then working as an airport staff on a monthly salary of Rs 15,000.
"I found him to be convincing. He told me I can pay him Rs 50,000 now, and the rest I can pay later. I felt so assured that I never thought he would cheat," says Raj whose father already lives and works in Malaysia to support their family of four.
"I wanted to go abroad so that I could earn more and support my family better," he says.
In July 2024, Iqra Guru LLC was shut down after the local police discovered they were operating without a license, following customer complaints.
A complaint detailing at least 12 victims of Iqra Guru and Fly Guru (another notorious agency) was filed with the Thrissur City Commissioner regarding European visa and VFS slot scams. The complaint was forwarded to the Thrissur Rural Commissioner who hasn't yet responded to the queries.
According to some of the victims The Quint spoke with, more than 100 people were scammed by the agency.
Meanwhile, Muzammil, who was a teacher by profession in Kerala, resides in Dubai. The Quint tried to reach out to him multiple times. His reply is awaited. The article will be updated as and when he responds.
A Web of Deception
Job scammers typically dupe unskilled workers by promising them jobs as caretakers, warehouse staff, electricians and truck drivers in Europe, Israel, and GCC nations, explains Ajith Kolassery, CEO, NORKA Roots, the field agency of the Department of Non-Resident Keralite's Affairs (NORKA) under the Kerala government. After collecting money and documents during the application process, these scammers vanish or make excuses about delays, he adds.
The surge in overseas job scams has particularly affected districts like Thrissur, where nearly 250 cases were reported last year alone. The state registered almost a twofold increase in job frauds in 2024 from 795 cases in 2023.
"Many of these agents or agencies usually operate from countries abroad like GCC, Cambodia, and Thailand,” adds Prakash KS, Circle Inspector (CI), NRI Cell, speaking about the complexity of these operations.
The state has received approximately 5,000 complaints over the year, mostly regarding repatriation or financial loss, but many go unreported, says CI Prakash, adding, "Agencies in the state are often set up under the Companies Act and the Shops and Establishments Act, so it’s hard for police to track them."
In October 2024, the state government formed a taskforce for illegal recruitment and visa fraud as part of NORKA's Operation Subha Yatra. The taskforce includes the NRI cell, NORKA Roots, and Protector of Emigrants.
Even as multiple victims choose to report, many like Francis don't.
"I knew I wasn't going to get the money back," Francis, who earns Rs 15,000 at the courier service company, tells The Quint.
He had borrowed Rs 5 lakh from banks and other sources – and he's now trying to repay bit by bit every month. His father, who works as a civil engineering supervisor, has taken care of half of the repayments.
Meanwhile, Raj is still hopeful to move abroad someday. He is currently training in MIG welding to upskill. “I don't have much hope in my hometown," he says, explaining his reason for keeping his hope alive.
(The writer is a freelance journalist based in Chennai.)
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