HYDERABAD: A 35-year-old woman from West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, narrowly escaped a trafficking attempt after being misled by a fake visa agent promising employment in Muscat. The accused, identified as Akumarthi Satyanarayana, was arrested by the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) police on Saturday.
According to police, the victim, Lankapalli Mary, a daily wage labourer from Pentapadu mandal, had approached Satyanarayana four months ago in search of a job abroad. The agent, also from West Godavari, promised to arrange a work visa, medical clearance, and a Protector of Emigrants (POE) certificate at no cost to her.
Since her passport had expired, the agent helped her secure a new one, claiming he would bear all expenses including visa, medicals, and airfare. On June 4, Mary and her son travelled to Tanuku railway station, where Satyanarayana and another woman, Kondalamma, joined them. The group reached Hyderabad the following day and stayed in a hotel near RGIA. Later that night, Satyanarayana handed over air tickets, travel visas, and passports to both women and instructed them to tell immigration officers they were merely tourists. At the immigration counter, however, the women revealed they were travelling for work and that a man named Sundaram in Muscat had arranged for it.
Immigration officials stopped them, explaining that it was illegal and unsafe to travel on travel visas without a POE certificate for employment. Realizing they were being trafficked, the women filed a police complaint, submitting copies of their travel documents as evidence.
On June 7, RGIA police arrested Satyanarayana while he was attempting to courier rolled gold ornaments to the “Rolled Gold and Fancy Centre” in Muscat, operated by Sundaram. During interrogation, Satyanarayana admitted to being part of a trafficking network illegally sending women to Gulf countries without mandatory POE certification.
Earlier trafficking cases involved similar tactics, where agents would cancel work visas and present travel visas instead. As scrutiny increased, Sundaram reportedly began charging Rs 1.5 lakh per woman, sending them on travel visas and arranging jobs later.
Police have registered a case and sent Satyanarayana to judicial remand. An investigation is underway.