Balasore: As many as 500 employees were allegedly deceived by a contractor engaged by electricity distribution company Nesco in Balasore.
The youths lodged a police complaint against the contractor. According to reports, Nesco had awarded contract to Six-S-Service agency for maintenance of transmission lines, collection of dues from customers and disconnection of electricity supply to them.
The agency had engaged over 500 youths from Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts having completed matriculation, ITI, diploma and degree as helpers, linemen and section officers. Before their engagement, the agency had allegedly taken `20,000 to `50,000 from them each as security money, but had given money receipt of only `10,000, it was learnt.
The agency made them work for five months. After the youths pressed for salary, the agency adopted a dilly-dallying approach and finally paid their salaries that too for only one month.
Accusing the agency of embezzling their four months’ salaries, the youths lodged a complaint against it at Sahadebkhunta police station.
Even some people, who have engaged their vehicles in the agency’s works, alleged that it has not cleared their dues towards fuel expenditure, drivers’ salaries and rent.
The agency, headquartered at New Delhi, has a number of offices in various parts of the state.
In the complaint, the youths including Tapan Kumar Agasti and Goutam Behera alleged that general manager of the agency Koushik Chand had taken donations from over 150 youths in the district. They lamented that the police have failed to act in this regard.
Managing director of the company Sangram Keshari Singh was contacted over his cell phone, but he did not receive the call.
However, the general manager said that his agency is a franchisee of Nesco. The distribution company has not paid its bills while youths have not been paid their salaries for four months.
He said `10,000 was taken as security while `5,000 was taken as training fee from the youths. “We have not taken more than `15,000. The youths might have complained because of pending salaries,” Chand added.
8 held for defrauding job-seeker
Balangir: The town police Tuesday arrested eight employees including an in-charge of Glaze Trading India Private Limited on the charge of duping a youth on the pretext of offering him a job here.
The arrested persons were branch in-charge Pramod Kumar Chatria, Amiya Pradhan of Kendrapara, Ranjan Majhi of Khurda, Krushnachandra Muduli, Binod Bhoi of Jagatsinghpur, Sagar Kandi, Sumant Behera of Balasore and Bijay Kumar Muduli of Puri.
The accused were produced in a court and remanded in judicial custody after the court rejected their bail pleas.
According to sources, the company has one of its branch offices near Bolangir College Chhak. Its employees reportedly duped hundreds of youths on the pretext of giving them jobs.
Like many other aspirants, Ratiranjan Sahu of Bolgarh in Khurda district also fell prey to the fraudsters.
According to police, Ranjan lured Sahu into working for the firm’s Bolangir office. He demanded `14,000 from Sahu for training promising a salary of `9,000 per month after the induction.
Sahu borrowed `14,000 and gave it to Chatria. However, since then, the employers neither gave him training nor the job for months. Frustrated, Sahu pleaded with Chatria for refund of his money. However, the employers allegedly held him captive in a room.
Acting on a tip-off by Sahu’s friends, his parents reached Bolangir and sought the help of the local police and rescued Sahu. Police conducted raids on the office and seized incriminating documents along with `13, 900 in cash.
Further investigation into the matter is on, sub-inspector Artatran Sarangi said. PNN
