How migrant quota fraudster hides behind shell companies, bigwigs

Trapped behind a fence that confined him to his hostel, Nepali worker Nabaraj, 26, exuded a panic that had consumed him since the moment he was told he was leaving Malaysia for good.

He and his brother, Suraj (not their real names) were given just 24 hours to pack their things to leave Malaysia for good, in late October.

“I was told today that I will be flying back tomorrow,” Nabaraj told Malaysiakini with the help of his co-workers acting as translators.

His hardened face and gruff voice belied the fear of returning to his vegetable seller job at a Nepali market earning a meagre 500 Nepalese rupees (RM17.70) per day - less than RM500 a month.

Despite their family being mired in debt, the brothers boldly secured hefty loans from multiple sources to cover recruitment fees and pinned their hopes on the promised three-year contract as cleaners in a Malaysian resort town, aiming for a double monthly income of RM1,500 for the family.

A socioeconomic dream of all migrant workers in Malaysia, but for Nabaraj and Suraj, that dream has...