Cricket Board staff complicit in doctors scam, action taken

An employee of the Cricket Board has been held responsible for misusing their position to assist Zeed International, a group posing as an international higher education consultancy. This agency allegedly scammed doctors and medical students out of thousands of dollars.

The case came to public attention earlier this week after some of the victims and their family members raised the issue over social media platforms. Following the widespread attention, police stated on Tuesday that the case had been reported and was under investigation, though no further details were provided.

Ibrahim Hafiz, the managing partner of H & Associates, which is offering pro bono legal aid to the victims, told Sun on Wednesday morning that his law firm is assisting multiple victims of an agency operating in the Maldives under the names ‘Zeed International’, ‘Zeed Consultancy’, and ‘Zeedle’.

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Hafiz stated that information verified by his firm shows Zeed has been charging Maldivian medical students triple or even quadruple the actual tuition fees for medical programs at institutions in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka.

Furthermore, misinformation provided by the agency has led to multiple students facing visa issues, resulting in some being deported back to the Maldives. There are also reported cases where the agency never actually paid universities and hospitals.

What Hafiz found especially alarming is that Zeed has been using the Male’ office of the Cricket Board of Maldives to openly meet and lure students. The agency also has posters advertising their services prominently displayed on the main roads of Male’.

The Cricket Association released a statement on Tuesday, confirming that senior management of the board rushed to the office on Monday after receiving information that people had entered the office along with police. Upon investigation, the association discovered that a foreigner without any official status had entered the cricket board building and that an employee was involved in facilitating this.

Consequently, action has been taken against the employee, and the board has pledged to cooperate with relevant authorities to uncover the truth.

Even now, posters advertising Zeed’s services to recruit students can still be seen in several areas of Male’ city.

Ibrahim Hafiz also revealed that the agency had charged doctors who applied for residency in the Philippines USD 40,000, while the actual fee for the three-year program is USD 10,000.

Zeed could not be reached for comment on the allegations as their phone is switched off. The company is allegedly run by a Maldivian leader in the sports industry through accomplices from neighboring Sri Lanka.