The Cyberabad police Thursday busted a gang allegedly involved in a scheme to tamper with passports and visas to traffic people to Gulf countries illegally, and arrested two men. The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) police, along with the Special Operations Team (SOT) of the Shamshabad Zone, arrested Chilukuri Balaji, 43, and Sunkara Shiva Kumar, 30, both operating as travel agents, from Nampally in the city.
According to a police statement, the agents targeted vulnerable people from Andhra Pradesh and other regions, promising high-paying jobs in Gulf countries like Kuwait and Oman. The modus operandi involved passport and visa tampering, where the accused procured visas, sometimes through fraudulent channels, and tampered with passports. This included stamping work visas with “cancelled” to make them appear as tourist visas, thus bypassing immigration checks.
The police action followed a complaint filed on May 13, 2025, by Gandikota Venkata Ramana, who alleged that agents, including Balaji, had deceived her and others, attempting to send them to Kuwait on tourist visas, despite holding Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports. Police investigation found that the accused exploited ECR passport holders (those who have not completed SSC), who require a Protect of Emigrant (POE) certificates, work contracts, and insurance for overseas employment. Not only did the agents circumvent these requirements, but they also forged work visa documentation, the police said.
The accused earned a profit of Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000 per person after covering expenses, the police said.
“The accused, Balaji and Shiva Kumar, are exploiting the desire of many people to seek employment in the Gulf (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Doha, etc.). They, along with absconding accomplices Anji and Satyanarayana, operate a human trafficking scheme. Through sub-agents in Andhra Pradesh, they target poor and illiterate individuals, collect their passports, and obtain work visas. However, these agents do not follow the legal requirements for processing work visas, such as obtaining POE certificates, insurance, and job contracts,” said K Srinivas Rao, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Shamshabad division).
According to him, the accused illegally created and tampered with visas and other documents. “Victims are then sent from Indian airports using tourist visas. Once onboard the flight, the tourist visa documents are discarded, and victims are instructed to present the altered or fraudulent work visa documentation upon arrival at immigration counters in the Gulf countries. This entire system, orchestrated by Anji and Satyanarayana, constitutes human trafficking,” he explained.
The police recovered 14 tampered passports, 14 Gulf countries visas, 16 copies of round-trip flight tickets from RGI Airport to Muscat, among other things, such as two stamps, one stamp pad, seven cell phones and one Laptop. The arrested are associates of absconding main agents, Satyanarayana and Anji alias Penegalapati Ramanjaneyulu, said the police.
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Police investigations revealed that Balaji operated under a false identity, “Srinivasa Global Recruits,” and was involved in a previous criminal case in Punjab. Shiva Kumar assisted in recruiting victims, collecting payments, and facilitating the fraudulent documentation process. An FIR has been registered under sections 318(4), 336(3), 340(2), and 112 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and 12 (1)(a)(b) of the Passport Act. The police are continuing their investigation to apprehend the others in the racket.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
