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Indian killed in Jordan was victim of job scam, family say

Imran Quraishi

The Indian BBC, Bangaluru

The BBC image of Thomas Gabriel Pereira wears a yellow and gray shirtBBC

The Thomas Gabriel Pereira family told the BBC that he was a victim of the functional fraud process

The family of an Indian man who was shot dead while crossing illegally to Israel says he was a victim of the functional fraud.

Thomas Gabriel Pereira was killed by the Jordanian security forces on the border with Israel on February 10.

His family told the BBC that his temptation to Jordan promised a profitable job, and when he did not fulfill, he tried to enter Israel because he was told that he could find work there.

The reports of the Indians who are falling due to the fraud and illegal entry operations of other countries have become increasingly common.

Pereira, 47, was accompanied by his son -in -law, Edison Charlas, who was injured in the accident. Mr. Charlas was treated in the hospital and spent two weeks in prison before returning to India.

The two men were from the Indian state of Kerala, where they worked as drivers in the Rickshaw game.

One of the agents has promised them that they may get jobs with blue collar in Jordan who get 350,000 rupees ($ 4,000; 3,110 pounds) per month.

Mr. Charlas BBC told that he paid 210,000 rupees to an agent before they left India, and paid an additional $ 600 after reaching Jordan in a tourist visa.

But when the two men arrived in the Jordanian capital in early February, the agent told them that there were no available jobs.

The agent then suggested that they should try to cross illegally to Israel, claiming that there are many opportunities there.

On February 10, Mr. Charlas and Perira joined a group that went to hours to Jordan’s borders with Israel.

“We took a car. It was a long distance. We entered the car at 2 pm and we got to the site only in the middle of the night. Then we made us walk along several kilometers along the coastal line. Walking in the dark had shot him,” said Mr. Charlas.

The BBC saw a message sent to the Pereira family by the Indian embassy in Jordan. It states that “the security forces tried to stop them, but they did not listen to the warning, and the guards opened fire on them.”

One bullet hit Mr. Thomas [Perera] In his head and died immediately.

Mr. Charlas, however, opposed this account and said that “there was no warning (from the guards). They only shot.”

“I was walking slowly behind others in the dark … It was when the bullet hit me and lost consciousness. I had no idea what happened to Thomas,” he said.

BBC asked the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Jordanian authorities to comment on Mr. Charlas’s claim.

Mr. Charlas said that he was later transferred to a hospital for treatment and then moved between many Jordanian government offices before being transferred to prison, where he was kept for 18 days.

While he was in prison, he was able to contact his wife and inform her of what happened, and his wife contacted the officials of the Indian embassy.

Mr. Charlas was deported to India on February 28.

Pereira’s body is still in Jordan. In response to BBC inquiries, the Indian Foreign Ministry said it is working to return the authority to India as soon as possible.

“I was told that it would take one or two days for the documentation and other things to accomplish,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman.

On Monday, Shashi Thanour, a member of Parliament who represents the Pereira Throvananhanthporam district, said that the members of the Indian embassy in Jordan have them. Check the identity of the victim And that the process of transporting the body has started.

Getty Images, immigrant builders take a break while working at a construction site by Corniche, in Doha, on November 24, 2022, during the World Cup in Qatar 2022. Gety pictures

The Middle East is a famous destination for migrant workers in South Asia, including Indians

Despite many government warnings, many Indians are still diminishing in job fraud and risk illegally entering countries to find work, observers say.

“The operating method is to obtain a tourist visa for one country and then enter the neighboring country,” said Ajith Kolaseri, CEO of Nurca, the administration of the Kerala state government that oversees immigration.

“No country will accept illegal entry. We have been constantly released by people to be careful not to have a job, but they are still continuing.”

In recent years, hundreds of Indians have been She was saved from Cambodia’s fraud centers And other parts of Southeast Asia. They were smuggled to the centers after being lured abroad with good job promises.

Dozens of Indian citizens were also Deception of fighting for Russia In the war with Ukraine after he was offered fake jobs and opportunities to study abroad.

100 Indians who were It was deported from the United States last month After accusing him of illegally entering the country, he was tempted in the hope of a better life, indicated Erdaya Rajan, who heads the International Institute for Migration and Development in therofananninthmuram.

“They also paid money to the agents and were deceived. It’s the struggle for better wages [that is driving this]He said.

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2025-03-08 07:59:00

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