Hyderabad could be emerging as a hub for passport and visa frauds among the southern States. Daily wage earners, in particular, are being trafficked to Dubai, Kuwait, Qatar and other Gulf countries with the promise of hefty wages, a senior immigration official said.
Dirham dreams
The officer said that workers, not only from the northern districts of Telangana, but also from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, are looking at Hyderabad to fulfil their dreams of earning in dirhams, unaware of that they could end up behind bars, the officer said.
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“They approach fraudulent travel agents here, who try to send them to Qatar or other countries for work by applying for a visit visa. The agent charges at least ₹30,000 a person; the amount varies from country [in which work is sought] to country,” he said. The agents cheat gullible people by issuing a fake visa.
They cheat the gullible people by issuing a fake visa. This week alone, the Bureau of Immigration officials at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad here detained 20 persons, a majority of them women, while they were trying to board a flight to Kuwait and other Gulf countries on visit visa for work purpose.
“After verifying their passports, we learnt that many of them have worked abroad for more than two years by obtaining a visit visa and were going back on a fresh visit visa. They do not have any work permit,” the immigration official said, adding that it is a clear case of human trafficking.
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On Sunday, the immigration officials detained 10 persons, including seven women, who were trying to flee the country on a visit visa.
Investigation on
The women, who hail from Kadapa, Chittoor, West Godavari and East Godavari districts, were later handed over to RGIA police for further investigation.
Police said the passengers were detained at the immigration counter when their travel documents were checked and found to be fake. “On Wednesday, we booked nine women from Karnataka, who were about to board a flight to Kuwait on visit visa,” said inspector G. Vijay Bhaskar Reddy.