Hyderabad, October 18: A woman passenger who disembarked from an Emirates flight was taken into custody by the immigration officials at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) for travelling with an invalid passport on Saturday.
According to Cyberabad police, 24-year-old Ananta arrived from Doha on Saturday morning.
During immigration check, the sleuths found that the passport on which she has travelled did not belong to her. The passport was in the name of one Pilli Mariam of Visakhapatnam district.
However, Anantamma claimed she was innocent as the passport was given to her by the Indian Embassy officials in Doha. Ananta went to Doha a couple of years ago and has been working as a labourer.
She went to the foreign country using her genuine passport and deposited it with her employer. Employers seizing the passports of migrant labourers is a common practice in the Gulf. This is done to ensure that labourers from India and other countries do not flee.
Ananta, who was not happy working at Doha, wanted to return to India. But as her employer refused to return the passport to her, Ananta applied for another passport at Indian Embassy in Doha.
“Ananta claims that the Embassy officials gave her the passport issued in the name of Pilli Mariam and that she did not verify the photograph and name on it. She did not face any problem while boarding at Doha airport but was caught at RGIA. We are still ascertaining whether it is the mistake of the Embassy officials or if there is any malicious intention of Anantha behind the invalid passport. We are trying to contact the Embassy officials. Above all, Ananta is illiterate,” RGIA SI Kiran told Express.
Ananta hails from East Godavari district and went to Doha in January 2008. Police are yet to register a case as investigation is still under progress. Case is likely to be registered once the immigration authorities get in touch with the authorities in Doha.
–Agencies