KOCHI: Protector of Emigrants (PoE) under Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has warned public against illegal overseas recruitment agencies operating in Kochi which have come out with luring offers of overseas jobs during the Covid pandemic period. PoE has come out with a warning after a probe into one of the major recruitment agencies in the city revealed that it was into illegal recruitment of people from the state. PoE officials said the particular agency had issued a lot of advertisements on social media promising jobs in Europe, Middle East and Asian countries.
“They were targeting gullible people who have lost jobs due to the pandemic-induced economic crisis,” the officials said adding that the inquiry into the activities of the agency was conducted based on a couple of complaints. “We have been receiving inputs from public on activities of various recruitment agencies in Kochi. We conducted an inquiry and forwarded the details to the police for further action,” said an officer of PoE in Kochi.
The officer said the probe found that the agency called “Indo-Brit Consultancy” functioning from a major office complex on MG Road was into illegal recruitment of people for overseas jobs. We have sent an alert to city police regarding the same,” the officer added.As per the details of the mail sent by PoE to the city police (which was accessed by TNIE), the PoE states that “on examination it is found that the agency M/S Indo-Brit Consultancy, MG Road, Ernakulam, does not possess any licence for conducting manpower recruitment to foreign countries under the Emigration Act 1983. In view of the above, you are requested to take appropriate action against the illegal agencies.” A source, privy to the development, said inputs revealed that the particular agency had collected lakhs of rupees from people promising emigration and jobs in other countries.
The police officials said people who have given money to the agency for jobs must approach them with details. Meanwhile, repeated attempts by TNIE to contact the particular agency (against which the PoE has recommended action) yielded no results as none of the telephone numbers given in the brochure or FB page of the agency were working. Officials said people who approach these kind of agencies for recruitment should mandatory ask for certification issued by PoE and verify the same with the nearest PoE office.