The family of Thomas Gabriel Perera, an Indian man shot dead while illegally crossing into Israel from Jordan, claims he was a victim of a job scam, BBC reported. Perera was killed by Jordanian security forces near the Israel border on February 10.
His family said he was misled by the promise of a high-paying job in Jordan. When the job offer did not materialise, he attempted to enter Israel, believing he could find work there.
Cases of Indians being deceived by employment scams and illegally migrating in search of work are reportedly on the rise.
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Perera’s body remains in Jordan. India's foreign ministry said efforts were underway to bring his remains back to India. “I am told that it will take one or two days for the process of documentation and other things to be completed,” BBC quoted Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs, as saying.
On Monday, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who represents Perera’s constituency, confirmed that Indian embassy officials in Jordan had verified his identity and had begun the process of transporting the body, the BBC report said.
How did Thomas Perera and his brother-in-law land in Jordan?
{{/usCountry}}On Monday, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who represents Perera’s constituency, confirmed that Indian embassy officials in Jordan had verified his identity and had begun the process of transporting the body, the BBC report said.
How did Thomas Perera and his brother-in-law land in Jordan?
{{/usCountry}}Perera’s brother-in-law, Edison Charlas, who accompanied him, was injured in the shooting. He received medical treatment and was later imprisoned for two weeks before being repatriated to India.
Both were from Kerala and worked as auto-rickshaw drivers. An agent promised them blue-collar jobs in Jordan with a salary of ₹3.5 lakh ($4,000) per month.
Charlas told the BBC that he paid ₹2.1 lakh to the agent before leaving India and an additional $600 after reaching Jordan on a tourist visa. However, upon arriving in Amman in early February, they were informed that no jobs were available.
The agent then suggested they cross into Israel illegally, claiming there were better job opportunities there, the BBC report added.
On February 10, Charlas and Thomas Gabriel Perera joined a group that drove for hours to Jordan’s border with Israel.
What happened at Jordan border?
Charlas told BBC, “We were taken in a car. It was a long distance. We got into the car at 2 pm and reached the location only around midnight. Then we were made to walk several kilometres along a coastline. It was while walking in the dark that we were shot,”
The BBC has seen a letter sent to Perera’s family by the Indian embassy in Jordan. It states that "security forces tried to stop them but they did not listen to the warning, the guards opened fire on them."
"One bullet hit Thomas in his head and he passed away on the spot."
Charlas, however, disputed this, saying, "There was no such warning (from the guards). They just shot."
"I was walking slowly behind the others in the dark... That was when the bullet hit me and I lost consciousness. I had no clue what happened to Thomas," he said.
The BBC has sought responses from India's foreign ministry and Jordanian authorities regarding Charlas' claims. Charlas said he was later taken to a hospital for treatment and then moved between several Jordanian government offices before being sent to prison, where he was kept for 18 days.
While in prison, he managed to contact his wife and inform her about what had happened. His wife then contacted Indian embassy officials. Charlas was deported to India on February 28.