Three members of an Indian family and three of their close friends were duped by a bogus recruitment firm in Dubai that authorities have now shut down, the media reported on Monday.
Ishrat Fathima, an HR professional from Tamil Nadu, told the Khaleej Times that she persuaded her younger brother, a cousin and three of their friends to pay Rs 100,000 to be hired by the same consultancy company where she worked.
"I did not know it was a trap as I worked for the company for a month and they paid me my salary on time. Now my family is furious and they are all demanding money from me. But how will I cough up Rs 500,000 when I myself lost money and got cheated?" asked Fathima, 27.
The woman said she came on a visit visa to Dubai on April 2018 and stayed with a family member.
"I had applied for jobs online and got a call from a company called Great Channel HR consultancy. After the interview, they offered me a job for 2,500 dirhams plus incentives.
According to Fathima, her harrowing experience began when the company refused to stamp her employment visa and also did not pay her.
"I was sent back to India on the promise that I will receive my employment visa soon. But a month later, the company asked me to come back again on visit. When I questioned them, they said the employment visa can only be stamped on my passport and refused to send a soft copy. I had no choice as I had already paid them 3,500 dirhams," she told the Khaleej Times.
The ordeal did not end for Fathima as even during her second visit, she was not paid any salary.
As per the complaint Fathima filed at the Indian embassy, the five young men from Tamil Nadu wired Rs 100,000 each to the company's account.
Fathima, who overstayed her visit visa for more than eight months has handed herself over to police, and is awaiting deportation, Indian embassy sources has confirmed.