She sold European dreams, buyers never boarded flight: Behind Parvathy Shaji’s alleged overseas job fraud

Kochi: While being escorted to Palarivattom police station on Thursday night, Amster Overseas CEO Parvathy Maya Shaji, who was arrested for fraud and cheating over job promises abroad, could not care less. She turned to the media and said “Make sure you film me like this when I walk back out too.”

While it sounded like a punch dialogue, the police say the confidence may have come from a strategy the agency had relied on for years – delaying complaints, applying pressure on victims and, when necessary, settling cases.

Parvathy’s arrest was based on two FIRs. But within hours after her arrest became news, more than 30 people from various places approached Palarivattom police with complaints against the agency. Investigators believe the actual number of victims could be more than 300 across Kerala.

Yet, most of these complaints did not immediately turn into fresh FIRs. The police said that Amster Overseas moved quickly to settle complaints, with a legal team led by senior advocates and office intermediaries contacting victims. Investigators estimate that around ₹40 lakh was distributed in a single day, with complainants being asked to sign compromise affidavits.

According to the police, the money was released only after the arrest, despite many of the same victims having allegedly faced delays, threats and pressure while seeking refunds earlier.

The luxury image on social media
The police say Parvathy built much of Amster Overseas’ image through social media.

A native of Kottayam, she regularly posted photographs and reels featuring luxury cars, designer clothes and heavy jewellery. She also projected an image of a lavish life in Dubai, including claims of owning three luxury apartments in the Burj Khalifa.

“The social media presence helped attract unemployed youngsters looking for jobs abroad. Advertisements offered jobs in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Armenia and Russia, with salaries of up to ₹1.5 lakh a month,” said a police officer at Palarivattom station.

Applicants allegedly paid between ₹1.5 lakh and more than ₹10 lakh, depending on the job and destination.

Major violations of Emigration Act
Investigators say the agency’s operations were not backed by the mandatory statutory clearances required for overseas recruitment.

A senior police officer told Onmanorama that overseas recruitment has to follow a prescribed process under the Emigration Act, 1983.

“Overseas recruitment cannot happen off social media ads. If a foreign entity needs manpower, the employer must submit a verified ‘Demand Letter’ through the Indian Embassy. They must execute a Power of Attorney authorising the Indian recruiter, also Embassy-attested. Crucially, all these authenticated documents must be uploaded directly onto the Ministry of External Affairs’ central e-Migrate portal. In Amster’s case, none of this existed. Not a single paper,” the officer said.

The police also allege that although Amster had a recruitment permit registered in Thiruvananthapuram, its operations in other locations did not have the required clearance.

“You cannot run branch offices without explicit PoE (Protector of Emigrants) clearance. Kochi had zero authorization. Yet Kochi was made their nerve centre, alongside unauthorised branches in Kollam, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Bengaluru and even Nepal. Operating those offices was itself a statutory crime,” the officer said.

Most candidates never left India
According to the preliminary investigation, the majority of the candidates who paid money to the agency never boarded a flight.

Once the money was collected, applicants were allegedly kept waiting for months or even years. Police say victims were given different explanations, including war-related problems, medical issues and consular delays.

“When they demanded refunds, they were directed to a separate “refund desk” and allegedly asked to wait for six months,” said the police.

For those who did manage to travel, the experience was not always what they had been promised.

The police cited the case of a youth from Thiruvaniyoor who paid more than ₹6 lakh for a warehouse job in Poland. He was allegedly diverted to Serbia and abandoned there without keeping the promises.

Stranded without work, such candidates were left facing deportation or the prospect of attempting dangerous border crossings, the police said.

Money moved through overseas accounts
The police also suspect that the agency deliberately kept a part of its financial operations outside India.

Candidates were allegedly instructed to transfer money through international remittance platforms, including Uni-Money and Webba, with funds reaching accounts in the UAE.

The police further suspect that some of the money was moved into cryptocurrency-related investments in Dubai.

The Kerala Police are preparing dossiers for the Enforcement Directorate, seeking a probe into the suspected cross-border financial transactions under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

The old MLM connection
Investigators say Parvathy did not build the operation alone.

Her husband, Thrissur native Aneesh Menon, is also under the scanner. The police say Menon was associated with the multi-level marketing (MLM) boom of the early 2000s and has more than 140 cheating cases linked to companies including Biz-Air and SmartWay. He later moved to Dubai.

“It’s an organised syndicate. He brought the blueprint from decades of MLM collapse schemes; she provided the modern face and digital lure,” the officer said.

The police also allege that victims who came to Amster’s Kochi offices seeking refunds faced threats and intimidation. Some complainants were allegedly threatened with online character assassination. Investigators are also looking into the agency’s alleged links with people involved in criminal activities, including notorious goons.

The police have seized three smartphones, international passports and digital records from the accused.

With Aneesh Menon currently in Dubai, investigators are also exploring formal legal channels to extradite him and proceed with the probe into the alleged overseas recruitment and financial network.