The Hindu : Front Page : Thirteen women held at Shamshabad airport

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Monday, May 26, 2008
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Thirteen women held at Shamshabad airport

Staff Reporter

Detained for travelling without proper documents

Travel agents who duped the women go absconding
Role of staffers of two airline companies under scanner

HYDERABAD: Thirteen women, two of them hailing from the city, were arrested by the Immigration Special Squad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Sunday morning for travelling without proper documents.

A four-member special squad nabbed the women aged between 29 and 44 when they were about to board the Kuwait (KU-372) and Oman (WY-836) flights. They were going to work as domestic helps. Travel documents were also seized from their possession.

Under scanner

Immigration Inspector S. Ravi Chandra said that while the travel agents who duped the women were absconding, the role of staffers working with these two airline companies was also being suspected for issuing boarding passes to passengers without verifying their travel documents.

He also admitted that a police constable, H. Kishan, who was posted at the counter number-11, had also colluded with the agents and airlines’ staffers to facilitate immigration clearance to women.

According to rules, the airlines staff should check passport, visa and other relevant travel documents along with immigration stamp before issuing boarding passes. But the airline staffers gave boarding passes to women without prior verification, he said, adding that the efforts were on to verify the role of ticket issuing agencies.

Third case

The arrested women were Femunissa, a resident of Amannagar in Talabkatta and Kursheed Bee from Golkonda, N. Krishnaveni, Yedla Meri, V. Veera Kumari, N. Rajani and N. Sunita, all from East Godavari district, Shaik Mastan Bee, P. Venkatesamma, K. Santamma, M. Laxmi and V. Chinna Reddyamma, all from Kadapa district, and Y. Kumari, of West Godavari district.

The women were later handed over to the Shamshabad police for further action. This is the third such case detected at the airport since its inauguration in March last.

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