When Shimila from Marianad, a coastal hamlet in Thiruvananthapuram, saw a small advertisement promising jobs with ₹1 lakh salary per month in Israel, stuck on electric posts near her home last year, she had dreams of a better future for her family. But now, after a five-month ordeal in Bosnia, and loss of ₹7 lakh to an agent who is missing, she is just wishing to turn the clock back.
She was part of a group of ten, hailing from the coastal areas of Thiruvananthapuram and from Angamaly, who had boarded a flight to Bosnia on April 19, with hopes of securing unskilled jobs in restaurants and supermarkets.
“The advertisements led us to Babitha Rafi from Kochuveli, who took ₹7 lakh from each of us and travelled with us to Bosnia. We were told that it is easier to get an Israel visa from Bosnia, which would be done within a month. All of us were accommodated in an isolated building within a forested area in Trebinje. After a few days, she slyly travelled back to Kerala, after entrusting us with an Ernakulam native, Unnikrishnan Namboothiri, who claimed to be an organiser of events for the Indian embassy there. But, the visa never came,” Shimila says.
Rinold from Kochuveli, another member of the group, says that Mr. Namboothiri used to visit them every month, asking them to pay ₹24,000 for electricity and water charges and claiming that the visas were being processed.
Russian man helps
“We established contact with Mico, a Russian, who used to rear goats at a farm nearby. Through Google translator, we conveyed our plight and he helped us purchase food from the nearby town. We tried to contact Babitha, but she began hurling abuses and threats. We have the recordings of all these. With the money running out, our family members here got in touch with the Valiathura police, who pressured Babitha to bring us back and repay the money. She sent tickets to three of us, as the rest six chose to stay back, with hopes of getting the visa. Since we returned, we have been trying to get the money back, but Babitha has gone missing,” Mr. Rinold says.
Fake case
Tony, husband of Sona from Angamaly, who was part of the group, said that Babitha had filed a fake case against him after he and the mothers of the other victims went to her house last month, demanding their money back.
“Yesterday, she sent a video from Bosnia with the others staying behind claiming that they are happy there. Now, all of our numbers are blocked from their phones,” says Tony.
The Valiathura police station SI said a case had been registered in this regard and investigation was still on.
“We do not know whether she has been involved in similar cases in the past. But there are some cases pending against her husband Rafi, regarding helmet theft,” says the SI.
Babitha has also filed a complaint with the City Police Commissioner against the Valiathura SI for allegedly speaking indecently with her when he asked her to repay the amount.
In the complaint, she claims that she had agreed to repay the money within six months.
