Eight Indian youth who were stranded in Putrajaya city of Malaysia for nearly two months after being cheated by middlemen have returned to India. According to the Malaysia Immigration Department, six of them were permitted to stay for a month in West Malaysia and Sabah on a social visit. They were also not allowed to take up any work.
Responding to The Hindu ’s e-mail to the High Commission of India in Kaula Lumpur on May 14, four of the eight youth were contacted by the High Commission and were promised their early repatriation. The Hindu was in touch with the High Commission as well as the families of the youth. The High Commission authorities also helped the youth obtain immigration clearance (issued on June 18) from the office of the Director-General of Immigration (DGI), Malaysia, that banned them from visiting Malaysia for the next five years.
The youth, all from Andhra Pradesh, who arrived at the Chennai Airport on June 26 are Pillati Mohan, Rajana Nooka Raju, Vasupalli Arun Kumar, G.N.V. Suribabu, Rangoli Ganesh, Lova Raju, Manikanta Reddy and another person whose name has not been revealed. “A Vijayawada-based middleman, P.S. Chowdary, cheated six of us by promising employment. Staying there [Malaysia] on a social visit, two of us worked in an industry for a month, while the others remained jobless,” P. Mohan, a returnee, said.
Four of them who were cheated by another middleman later contacted Chowdary who made use of the opportunity. According to the youth, the payment for the work they had done used to be deposited in the account of the middlemen, who in turn paid salary to them.
“I was thrown out of a company after my immigration period was over by March-end, and Chowdary kept me waiting for nearly two months without work in Putrajaya. Meanwhile, the Indian High Commission authorities contacted us,” Mohan added.
