Kerala Nursing recruitment scam - Main accused arrested in Kuwait, later released

IIK Staff Reporter

The main accused in the 2000 crore Kuwait Nursing recruitment scam in Kerala Uthup Varghese was arrested by Kuwait Police yesterday. He was later released as there was no case registered against him in Kuwait. The Kochi unit of the CBI earlier registered an FIR against Uthup Varghese and his recruiting agency Al Zarafa Travels, which is arraigned as the second accused in the case.

It’s reported that Uthup reaches Kuwait after his agency was raided by CBI in connection with the case. According to the CBI, Al Zarafa Travels, owned by Uthup Varghese of Kottayam, had recruited 435 nurses to Kuwait collecting at least Rs 19.5 lakh from each applicant when the agency was supposed to collect a service charge of Rs 19,500. According to reports, he had collected half of the amount from the applicants and sends them to Kuwait. Later he also reaches Kuwait to continue the recruitment process and to collect the rest of the bribe amount from candidates.

Sunday morning reporters of two Malayalam TV channel, Anil P Alex and Ismayil Payyoli, reaches the Ministry of Health Headquarters after coming to know that the accused is continuing the recruitment process there. However Uthup and his team of goons attacked the reporters who were trying to record the activity. The media people contact the Indian Embassy and Higher authorities and with the help of them, authorities took Uthup into custody. But the applicants who paid bribe were not ready to give complaint against Uthup. Also the CBI case details were not yet reached Indian Embassy, the authorities later released him.

India Government, in an attempt to brush aside the middlemen exploiting Indian nurses, has already issued an order that states that from April 30, only three Government agencies can recruit Indian nurses to Kuwait. The official delegations along with the Indian Ambassador Sunil Jain, who strongly took up this issue with the authorities, held various discussions last day to finalize the modalities of nursing recruitment.