DUBAI/NEW DELHI, 25 April 2007 — UAE immigration authorities yesterday deported 39 Indians, a day after they arrived here on fake visas looking for jobs. Their sponsors failed to submit the original visas at the airport on time, an official sources said.
“The passengers arrived at Dubai International Airport on Monday morning by Indian Airlines (IC-897). There were 44 passengers. Five of them contacted their sponsors and completed the immigration formalities. But 39 others did not know which company was supposed to have hired them,” Anand Pandey, country manager of Indian Airlines, told Arab News.
“Since they failed to submit the original visa upon arrival, Dubai immigration authorities served a deportation notice and we took them back to Delhi by IC-896 today (Tuesday). But when they reached New Delhi, they claimed that they were having original visas. However, we have asked them to send back the visas. Today we will meet the immigration officials and discuss the issue,” Pandey added.
Meanwhile, Minister Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi yesterday said the government will inquire into the immigration “fraud” due to which the Indians were deported from Dubai.
“We are awaiting the details (of the incident). We will order a probe into how the lapse occurred,” Ravi said.
“We have to find out where the lapse took place — whether by the immigration officers or the airport authorities. Stern action will be taken against those found guilty,” he said.
“If there is any involvement of the recruiting agency, the ministry will ensure that its license is canceled,” said Ravi, who has been trying to introduce changes in the law to contain illegal immigration.
The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) has contacted the Indian mission in Dubai to find out the facts about the incident and asked its field officers in Chandigarh to seek details about the travel agent who gave the fake visas.
The External Affairs Ministry also said it was checking the facts.
“We have asked our Protectorate of Emigrants office in Chandigarh to start an inquiry through the police,” an MOIA spokesman said.
Asked what kind of action the MOIA would take if the agent was found guilty, the spokesman said: “We can take two types of action. If the agent is not registered, we will start criminal proceedings against him.
“But if the agent is a registered one, we can first serve a show cause notice to him, then suspend his license and eventually cancel it. We can also freeze his bank guarantee.”
