Hyderabad Emerging Visa And Passport Fraud Centre Of South India: Workers Being Trafficked To Gulf On Fake Documents

Hyderabad may be fast emerging as a regional hub for visa and passport fraud in the south, with daily wage labourers, in particular, being trafficked to Gulf countries by unscrupulous agents, reports The Hindu.

Workers from across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka come to Hyderabad to fulfil their dreams of immigrating to the gulf, enticed by promises of high wages, ignorant of the fact that they could fall prey to fraudulent schemes and end up in prison.

“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,” an official stated. The gullible workers are cheated by these agents who issue fake visas.

Earlier this week, immigration officials took 20 individuals into custody at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad, a majority of whom were women, when they were on their way to board flights headed to gulf destinations. The persons were found to have fake travel documents and it was also revealed that some of them had previously worked in the gulf without any work permits.