Misfortune awaits sfor fraudster ring: Nur
State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Haque Nur has urged those operating illegal fraud rings to mend their ways. The State Minister warned that dire consequences await them if they fail to put a stop to these activities.
He stated, “Various agencies, including the DB police, are keeping everyone under surveillance. There is no escape. Therefore, if you do not stop these activities now, you will face serious trouble.”
He made these remarks on Thursday (July 30) at the inauguration ceremony of the online complaint management module, held at the Hotel InterContinental in the capital.
At the event also present were the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Dr. Shakirul Islam Khan, Ministry Secretary Mokhtar Ahmed, and RAMRU Founding Chair Dr. Tasneem Siddiqui, among others.
The State Minister said, “We are currently discussing the process for sending workers to Malaysia. We aim to establish a transparent and low-cost pathway for Bangladeshis to travel there, avoiding the controversial procedures of the past. However, we are already seeing advertisements—and queues or serial-taking for payments—taking place. This is clearly in violation of migration laws, as these advertisements are being issued without the Ministry’s authorization.”
“This cannot be taken lightly. After all, thanks to social media today, content lasting just a few seconds reaches millions of people.”
He added, “It is not just that—they are running flashy advertisements promising to get people onto routes to Europe. We need to exercise strict vigilance here and take strong action against those responsible. At the same time, officials within our ministry—and particularly those working in other related departments—also bear a responsibility.”
Nurul Haque stated, “Bribes have to be paid to secure loans from the Expatriates’ Welfare Bank; we receive many such complaints. Since it is poor people who take out loans here, why should demands for 10,000 to 20,000 taka be made? This is happening both in Dhaka and outside the capital. Therefore, this practice must clearly be stopped. Several recruiting agencies have had their licenses revoked—approximately 49 due to allegations involving the Malaysia syndicate or the exploitation of workers in the labor market, and a few others in connection with a case involving Russia.”
He said, I state this with great confidence, the approximately 3,000 existing recruiting licenses must be brought under proper regulation.
Is it really appropriate to have more than 400 or 500 licenses? Why, then, are so many being issued? These licenses are often used to perpetrate fraud under various guises.
There is even a requirement to send 100 workers over a three-year period—a target many license holders fail to meet—yet they manage to get their licenses renewed by citing excuses.
The State Minister said, “I do not know how it costs 12 to 15 lakh taka to go to Singapore; Singapore does not charge this extra amount.
Six training institutes have been authorized, and they are operating as a syndicate to levy these charges. They are amassing hundreds of crores of taka while sucking the blood of the poor.”
