Ernakulam: A private establishment at Ambalamugal in Ernakulam has recruited males and females in every district, entrusting them with the ‘job’ of collecting funds purportedly for treating cancer patients. A 26-year-old lady recruit who sought refuge at Gandhi Nagar police station on Friday narrated the goings-on at the shady firm. Police suspect a racket involved in widespread fund collection in the state in the name of cancer patients. The Secret Investigation Wing has also started an investigation.
Though the young woman stayed at the firm and underwent training to collect funds, she could not spot a single cancer patient. Only the photos of handing over the money to certain people were displayed there.
The job of such candidates is to hop houses to collect money to treat cancer patients. For three days, they are given training on how to collect money from houses. They are told what to say while visiting houses and how to react to questions from households.
After the initial training for a few days, the young woman was sent with a person for field training. During these days, they got up to Rs 3,000. This money was deposited in the office. When they told the woman that she should have an Aadhar card to be made a permanent employee, she left for Kottayam to create an Aadhar card with the help of a friend. However, when the friend left for another place after reaching Kottayam, the young woman had to seek asylum at the police station at Gandhi Nagar. Police have lodged her at a woman’s shelter home in Kottayam.
How she was snared
According to police, the young woman who left her home due to family issues was taken to the firm at Ambalamugal by a friend for the job. That person was also working at the same firm.
Genuine fundraising to be hit
The number of people undertaking fund collection drives in the name of cancer patients is increasing day by day. This causes a big crisis to genuine charities with such reports on fraudulent activities.
"People should resolve that they will give donations only to people’s committees formed with the knowledge of the panchayat authorities," said Fr Sebastian Punnassery, Director of Prathyasha, a charitable foundation in Changanassery.
