Manik did not want it any more.

"Why should I have to pay the company to get a job? I had a feeling that it was just not right. There was something fishy about the whole affair. I walked out," said Manik.

But there are many others who are too desperate to get a job and are being entrapped by some shady companies making millions by ripping off the unemployed.

The method of cheating these companies follow is quite simple. They advertise for a large number of posts, offering attractive salaries and facilities including festival bonuses, increment, provident funds, life insurance, gratuities, pension, house rent, medical and dining allowances and transport.

But each candidate has to deposit a bank draft or cash of Tk 100-200, non-refundable, with the application. And once the candidate passes the interview, which they inevitably will be as no-one is ever rejected, the company will ask them to deposit the 'security' money.

One such company, Association for Social Economical Development (ASED), advertised on August 29 this year in the Daily Ittefaq to recruit 301 staff. The Consumers' Association of Bangladesh (CAB) calculated that this organisation netted Tk 34,300 from 'interview fees' and at least Tk 15 lakh in security money, the total sum of Tk 5,000 from each of the 301 selected candidates.

A number of similar companies such as Ara Society advertised in the Daily Ittefaq on June 11 to recruit 1,113 staffs, Saules advertised in Jugantor on June 2 for 662 staffs and the Society for Organisation Learning and Village Economy (SOLVE) advertised in Jugantor on July 20 for 682 staffs.

Our correspondent, in guise of a potential candidate, recently attended an interview at the Bangladesh Self-Employment Co-operative Commercial Credit Ltd. (BSCL), a sister organisation of ASED, at 74/4 Kallyanpur by paying an interview fee of Tk 100.

The BSCL advertised for 244 staffs in the daily Ittefaq on September 8, ASED for 572 officials in the Daily Jugantor on May 30 and for a further 301 officials in the Ittefaq on August 29.

The interviewer asked him for his parents' names, his address and educational qualifications.

"You can have the job, but you will have to pay at least Tk 20,000 in security money," one of the two interviewers said.

"If you are unable to pay the Tk 20,000 immediately, you must pay Tk 10,000 when you begin the job and we can loan you Tk 10,000 which you will have to reimburse in instalments with accumulated interest," the interviewer explained.

The company offered our correspondent a monthly salary of Tk 3,560 under which he is obliged to work there at least for a year.

"You will get pension if you work for 25 years in this organisation," he said. "And you have to go through a training of 2-3 weeks."

Gias Uddin, chairman of the ASED, explained that they take the 'security money' as the staffs are employed to collect funds from cooperative members for microcredit programmes.

He also claimed that at least 36 staffs had disappeared with large sums of money in the last few years.

Referring to the 'interview fee', he said, "We need money to advertise in the newspapers, don't we?"

Gias Uddin said he has several co-operatives across the country with more than 10,000 members.

In its advertisement, the ASED has claimed to have been recognised by an obscure foreign organisation PDA, LONDON NWIOZUU UK Reg. No: 4217512 FUND, to run its operations.

But Gias Uddin admitted that his organisation is yet to sign any contracts with the so-called funding agency of England.

During a visit to SOLVE at Shyamoli, our correspondent found no-one present except a guard who could not give the names or phone numbers of the directors or any high officials of the organisation.