Kathmandu. Ajay Kumar Yadav, a resident of Saptari, who was on his way to Malaysia as a security guard, had a flight on May 12. Yadav had already paid Rs 70,000 in cash to the manpower company for processing the manpower company as per the government’s policy of ‘free visa, free ticket’.

However, he could not fly to Malaysia after a manpower company named Grand Sweet Job of Koteshwor told him that he would not take less than Rs 3 lakh. At the same time, the employer company had sent the visa and ticket. However, Ajay’s dream of going abroad and earning money could not be fulfilled as he did not pay Rs 3 lakh.

The manpower company said that it would pay the remaining Rs 2 lakh 20 thousand and fly it on May 17. Then he saved the money. He got down to Kathmandu on Saturday morning.

An employee of the company called Ajay on Saturday morning. Stating that he had his passport and other documents, he called the employee to meet him in front of a petrol pump at Tinkune Gairigaun.

By then, Ajay had told the secretariat of Minister for Youth, Labor and Employment Ramji Yadav about the problems he was facing. Ajay is a voter in Ramji’s constituency.

Minister Yadav’s personal under-secretary Saroj Yadav himself worked to solve Ajay’s problem. He reached the police circle in Tinkune along with some journalists. There, the team along with the police officers reached the place where Ajay and the manpower employees were meeting. The employee, who said to work in the visa section of Manpower, initially asked Ajay for money. Ajay said that he would give the money only after giving the passport and documents. At that time, the police took the employees under control.

The staffer was taken to the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office by the Tinkune police after he confessed to demanding Rs 3 lakh for a job that was to be done for Rs 10,000 as per the free visa, free ticket policy.

The employee was found to be in possession of 4 passports, flight tickets and other important documents. It is learnt that he had taken money from all four of them and gave them the documents.

The arrest of a manpower agent who cheated innocent workers in the name of foreign employment and collected millions of rupees violating the rule of ‘Free Visa Free Ticket’ has proved how innocent citizens are being cheated. Saroj, personal secretary of Minister Yadav, said, “We have stopped a simple Nepali from being cheated in Gairigaun of Tinkune today. I would like to thank the police officers who supported me in this special plan. ‘

Yadav was in the process of going to Malaysia to work as a security guard. He had completed all the processes from the branch office of the manpower company in Jhapa. Although the official fee fixed by the government is only Rs 10,000, Manpower has demanded Rs 310,000 from Yadav. Manpower had initially negotiated a discount of Rs 3 lakh saying that they would give a discount of Rs 10,000. Earlier, Yadav had paid Rs 70,000 in cash for ticket and other procedures, but the manpower company had held him hostage saying that he would not provide his passport, labour permit and air ticket until he paid the remaining amount.

The arrested agent initially claimed that he was going to give the documents only after taking money, but when the police asked him why he was asking for Rs 3 lakh in a country where there is a free visa, free ticket, he kept quiet. Yadav will be allowed to fly to Malaysia on Sunday after his passport, labour permit, insurance and air ticket were confiscated and handed over to him.

Expressing happiness, Yadav said, “In the beginning, Manpower said that it will not cost money, we will arrange everything after passing the interview.” But when the visa came, he started threatening that he would not be allowed to go if he did not pay Rs 3 lakh. Poor people should take loans and bring money, and strict action should be taken against those involved in such looting. ‘

Minister Yadav’s secretariat has also appealed to the people to directly contact the Ministry of Labour if they face any problem while going for foreign employment. Police have launched an investigation into the case to take further legal action against the arrested agents.