Six women with tampered passports held before flying to Muscat
Six women were arrested at Mumbai airport for attempting to fly to Muscat with tampered passports, seeking jobs in Kuwait via an agent.
MUMBAI: Six women were arrested by police after immigration officials caught them on Thursday at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, allegedly trying to fly to Muscat with tampered passports.
According to the Sahar police, a few details from their passports were erased to allow them to pass off as tourists. Based on the complaint of immigration officials, the Sahar police arrested Venkata Laxmi Ullithula, 30; Khadeerunnisa Shaikh, 32; Munemma Sunkara, 37; Rubina Syed, 33; Kumari Tellakula, 33; and Kalyani Engisetti, 33. According to police, the six women were supposed to fly by Air India flight IX-235 to Muscat. When they passed through immigration, officials noticed that their passports were tampered with and suspected foul play.
“Officials told us that a few stamps on some pages were erased,” said a police officer from the Sahar police station.
After questioning the women, it was learnt that the women were from Andhra Pradesh. They secured the travel through an agent and were on their way to Kuwait where they were promised jobs as domestic workers. The agent also promised to get them employment visas. As their passports were in Emigration Check Required (ECR) status, they had to obtain an emigration clearance from the Protectors of Emigrants (POE) before they can work in Kuwait. For this, they sought help from the agent, who in turn used chemicals to erase Kuwait’s visa stamps from their passports. The agent then secured them tourist visas and flight tickets to Muscat, from where they would go to Kuwait.
“We have booked the women under relevant sections of the Passport Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for cheating and forgery,” said the officer. The women were arrested and produced before the court where they were remanded to judicial custody.