Immigration scam: Pvt airline staff arrested

Immigration officials at the Kempegowda International Airport caught an airline staffer red-handed while trying to get immigration clearance for two women to travel to Kuwait without valid documents.

The immigration officials handed over Mallikarjun and the two women to the airport police.

Arun Kumar, assistant sub-inspector, stated in the complaint that Mallikarjun, who was working with a private airline, had received Rs 5,000 via a mobile wallet app on October 24 from one Narasimha.

In return, Narasimha asked him to help send the two women to Kuwait as they don’t have emigration clearance from the Office Of Protector Of Emigrants to travel abroad. Narasimha asked Mallikarjun to help them with the immigration clearance and brought them to the airport.

Mallikarjun decided to first send them to Colombo in Sri Lanka on a tourist visa and from there to Kuwait on an employment visa, but he was caught by the immigration officials.

Officials felt it was a case of human trafficking and handed Mallikarjun over to the police. It was also revealed that the two women were going to Kuwait as labourers without any valid documents.

The police suspect this case to be part of an international human trafficking racket, and efforts are on to nab Narasimha and two of his associates.