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The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) police in Hyderabad on June 7 arrested a fake visa agent on charges of human trafficking and cheating a woman by promising her employment in Muscat. The accused, Akumarthi Satyanarayana, hails from Skinnerapuram village in West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh.
The victim, Lankapalli Mary, a 35-year-old daily wage labourer from Jatlapalem village in Pentapadu mandal, had previously worked in Qatar on a one-year contract in 2017. Encouraged by others in her locality who had gone abroad for domestic work, she decided to pursue overseas employment again.
In August 2023, Mary approached Satyanarayana, who claimed he could arrange a job for her in Muscat. He promised to provide a work visa, medical clearance, and a Protector of Emigrants (PoE) certificate — free of cost. He also assisted her in securing a new passport, as her old one had expired.
On June 4, Mary and her son travelled to Tanuku railway station, where they met Satyanarayana and another woman. The next day, the group reached Hyderabad and stayed at a hotel near RGIA. There, Satyanarayana handed over air tickets, travel visas, and passports to both women and instructed them to pose as tourists to immigration officers.
However, immigration officials stopped and questioned the women, who admitted they were traveling for employment and that someone named Sundaram in Muscat had arranged their jobs. Officials explained that traveling on a tourist visa without a PoE certificate was illegal and unsafe for employment purposes.
Realising they had been trafficked, the women filed a police complaint and submitted copies of their travel documents as evidence.
On June 7, RGIA police arrested Satyanarayana while he was attempting to send rolled gold ornaments to “Rolled Gold and Fancy Centre,” allegedly owned by Sundaram in Muscat. During interrogation, Satyanarayana confessed to being part of a trafficking network that illegally sends women to Gulf countries without the required documentation.
A case has been registered against Satyanarayana, who has been remanded to judicial custody. Police said the investigation is ongoing to uncover further details about the trafficking operation.