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| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A visa agent has been arrested by the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) police on the charges of human trafficking and cheating.
The accused was identified as Satyanarayana, a native of Skinnerapuram village in West Godavari district.
The case unfolded after the victim, 35-year-old Lankapally Mary, a resident of Jatlapalem village, was stopped by the immigration authorities at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) due to issues with her Muscat visa. Investigation revealed that Satyanarayana had promised Mary employment in Muscat.
Mary had travelled to Qatar in March 2017 on a one-year work visa and returned to India after completing her contract. Encouraged by others in her locality who had gone abroad for domestic work, she decided to seek foreign employment again. She met Satyanarayana in August 2023, who claimed he could send her to Muscat for work.
Satyanarayana handed her a new passport and assured her that all arrangements would be taken care of. Mary then handed over her documents, trusting that he would manage the visa and travel. Unlike her previous experience, where the visa and ticket costs were borne by employers, Satyanarayana told her that workers were now being sent directly, and costs had to be handled upfront.
On June 3, 2025, Satyanarayana arranged for her medical tests in Tanuku. He told her she would be informed once the visa was ready. The following day, on June 5, they travelled to Hyderabad by train and proceeded towards RGIA, where he handed her a Muscat visa.
Further investigation is underway.
Published – June 09, 2025 04:18 on is
