‘No food, gruelling mine jobs, threats’: What victims allegedly faced after paying Parvathy Maya Shaji

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: More complaints have surfaced against Parvathy Maya Shaji, owner of Amster Overseas, who is accused of cheating job seekers by promising them employment abroad. The complainant’s lawyer shared details of the allegations with the media.

Several complaints have now been lodged against Parvathy before the court and at police stations, in addition to the FIR initially registered in the case, the lawyer said. Parvathy has been taken into custody until 12 noon tomorrow for further investigation, according to the lawyer. The lawyer claimed that hundreds of people had allegedly fallen victim to the fraud, but only around 10 to 15 of them had come forward to lodge complaints.

Parvathy allegedly collected lakhs of rupees from each person after promising them jobs abroad. The money was allegedly collected during 2023-24, while only one or two people were able to secure employment, the lawyer claimed. Even those who got jobs were allegedly made to work under difficult conditions, with some reportedly required to work for nearly 20 hours in mines and left without food for extended periods.
Several victims allegedly managed to escape the situation and return to Kerala, the lawyer said.

Parvathy allegedly operates offices at several locations in Kerala. The lawyer further alleged that people who demanded refunds were assaulted by men allegedly hired by Parvathy. In some cases, threats were also allegedly made against the families of those seeking the return of their money, she claimed.
The alleged fraud involved promises of jobs in countries including Armenia and Poland. Parvathy allegedly collected a minimum of Rs 10 lakh from each person, according to the allegations.

Amster Overseas has its registered office in Kottayam and has branches in Kochi, Kattappana, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Bengaluru, Oman, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Nepal, according to the information shared by the complainant's side.
The agency had offered services related to overseas employment opportunities, permanent residency and higher education abroad.