Six Andhra Pradesh Women Jailed for ‘Altered’ Passports at Mumbai Airport
Image Source: The Indian Express
The women claimed that their agent had removed Kuwait’s visa stamps from their passports using a chemical.
On Thursday, immigration officials at Mumbai International Airport detained six women from Andhra Pradesh for allegedly attempting to travel to Muscat with falsified passport details. The investigation revealed that information on their passports had been altered to facilitate travel on tourist visas.
Based on a complaint filed by the immigration authorities, Sahar police arrested Venkata Laxmi Ullithula (30), Khadeerunnisa Shaikh (32), Munemma Sunkara (37), Rubina Syed (33), Kumari Tellakula (33), and Kalyani Engisetti (32).
Police reported that the women intended to fly to Muscat on Air India flight IX-235. Immigration officers flagged their passports as suspicious, noting visible signs of tampering, such as erased stamps on certain pages. Initial inquiries revealed the women were from various parts of Andhra Pradesh and had plans to travel to Kuwait for housemaid jobs. They reportedly sought assistance from an agent to obtain employment visas for Kuwait.
As their passports carried an ECR (Emigration Check Required) status, they needed POE (Protector of Emigrants) clearance to travel to Kuwait. To bypass this, the agent allegedly removed Kuwait’s visa stamps from their passports using chemicals and arranged for tourist visas and tickets to Muscat, intending for them to continue to Kuwait from there.
According to the FIR, the women admitted to bypassing POE clearance with the agent’s help. A police sub-inspector from Sahar police station confirmed that the women had been booked under the Passport Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for forgery and cheating. After being presented in court, they were sent to judicial custody and are now held at Byculla women’s prison.
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