Gerrit Zwarg, 25, from Germany and his roommate, Piotr Ostrowski, 24, from Poland, returned from a dinner recently to find their laptops, iPods and Rs650 stolen from their hostel.
Vadodara: Theft, extortion, cramped living conditions and lacklustre job placements are just a few allegations foreign trainees are claiming against international student group Aiesec-Baroda.
Gerrit Zwarg, 25, from Germany and his roommate, Piotr Ostrowski, 24, from Poland, returned from a dinner recently to find their laptops, iPods and Rs650 stolen from their hostel. The door was opened with a key.
Aiesec Baroda recruiter, Ashfak Shaikh, 20, was later arrested by police for the crime. He was later released, according to Zwarg's lawyer.
“Shaikh was having dinner with us, but rushed out early,” said Zwarg, who had filed an FIR in this connection. By process of elimination, Zwarg and Ostrowski themselves solved the mysterious theft.
Since there is only one Mac store in Baroda, Zwarg and Ostrowski,
approached Mac staff at the Centre Square mall with their laptop serial numbers and asked them to find out if anyone had purchased a charger for the Macbook since the thief had fled without it.
“Someone from the Mac store called us saying that someone has tried to buy a charger for my computer. We showed them a photo of Ashfak and the Mac staff confirmed it was him,” said Zwarg.
According to Aiesec, Baroda, president, Anand Bhardwaj, Shaikh has been suspended from his duties until proven innocent.
Bhardwaj alleges that Shaikh has been framed by a cousin. However, the story has contrasting sides.
“When we visited Shaikh, he said he stole our laptops to make money to impress his girlfriend,” said Zwarg, who spent almost Rs5,000 for legal and court fees. His iPod and money are still missing.
Recently, this reporter visited a hostel in the Karliebaug neighbourhood and found 11 students from China, Taiwan and Norway, cramped in a room that measured roughly 45 square metres, all sharing one bathroom.
“We were promised four people per room plus a kitchen. As you
can see there are 11 beds, and no kitchen,” said Leo Liu, 22, from Taiwan, who has now completed his 6-week placement with an NGO working with street kids. Liu noted another Japanese student arrived halfway into his internship, bumping the number to 12.
Bhardwaj said his staff were in Chennai for a conference and were not aware of the living conditions and said new arrangements were underway. “Aiesec said half the people would be moved into another room across the hall,” said Liu, who spent $1,000 US to come to India.
Two former trainees from the UK wrote to DNA detailing substandard living conditions and lacklustre job placements after spending approximately $2,000 US for a two-month placement in Baroda with an NGO working with rural communities dealing with HIV/AIDS, last summer. “They promised us 25 hours per week and we got none,” wrote Alessandro Capozzi, 21.
Bhardwaj said he was surprised by the trainee's allegations. “NGO's don't always operate like companies,” said Bhardwaj, who explains hours can be sporadic and some foreigners have difficulty adjusting to a less punctual regiment.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}