Blue-collar job-seekers in Bengaluru taken for a European 'ride'

Bengaluru: Shady recruiting agencies in Bengaluru are taking advantage of the growing demand for blue-collar jobs in Europe, as the working class looks for employment beyond the Gulf countries. 

Under the guise of providing work visas, these fly-by-night operators are scamming jobseekers out of lakhs of rupees and shutting up shop within months. 

While people in Karnataka’s tier-2 and tier-3 cities continue to gravitate towards Gulf countries for employment opportunities, those in Bengaluru are eyeing jobs in European countries like Poland, Hungary, Luxembourg and Austria, according to industry insiders. 

“The Gulf was popular among Bengalureans about a decade ago, but in the last eight-odd years, there hasn’t been much improvement in the standard of living of blue-collar immigrants in these countries,” a government official told DH. “These illegal agencies are using this opportunity to lure in people with “well-paying jobs in Europe”. 

While a driver making Rs 30,000 a month in Bengaluru may earn just Rs 10,000-15,000 more in any Gulf country, the pay in Europe is around Rs 1 lakh. 

“The jobs are varied — from kitchen help to warehouse workers, janitors to supermarket salesmen and so on. Due to the high salary, people end up falling for the trap,” the official said. 

Investigations by the Protector of Emigrants (PoE) office in Bengaluru led to a crackdown on two such unlicensed consultancies in September. Several similar cases have been filed in 2025. 

Currently, Bengaluru has only 37 active registered overseas recruitment agencies. According to the Emigration Act, the agencies are permitted to charge a service fee of Rs 30,000, plus GST. Dozens of others operate under the radar, according to the official. 

Madiwala-based Harsha K, was charged Rs 2.2 lakh by DM Immigration Consultants, located on Union Street near Shivajinagar, for a warehouse operations job in Poland. 

“It all started with an Instagram advertisement,” he told DH. When he clicked on the advertisement, agency representatives spammed him with job offers in Poland. 

“I had only clicked on the ad out of curiosity. But after several calls and messages, they convinced me to apply for the job. They took the money, got me the work permit and asked me to wait for the visa. But the visa never came. I waited for months and then filed a police complaint,” he said. 

Three others have filed a complaint against the same company. 

Coimbatore native Shahnawaz (name changed) lost Rs 1.5 lakh in similar circumstances while applying for a job in Austria. Over 300 people have been scammed by Just Set Journeys, based in Ramamurthy Nagar, he claimed. 

“The company seemed legitimate from the get-go. It followed due procedure, did my medical check-up and even assured it would be providing accommodation for the first few weeks in Austria. I even visited its office for my interview with the Austrian firm. But once I got the work permit, they stopped contacting me. When I realised something was fishy, I again visited their office, only to find it empty,” he recalled. 

There is a severe imbalance in the success rate between obtaining visas and work permits for European countries. 

“Work permits are easily obtainable but visas are not. Which is why we mostly stay away from these countries, and instead push for jobs in the Middle East and the Far East. We also discourage job opportunities in South Asian countries like Myanmar and Thailand, due to the rampant problem of cyber slavery,” said an overseas recruiter.