Agra: A Yemeni national, who had been living in India without a valid visa for nine years, was arrested at the Taj Mahal after an auto-rickshaw driver grew suspicious when he was unable to find a hotel room, police said on Wednesday. Upon questioning, the police found the visa of Zaidan Omar Mohammed Al Syed, 29, a resident of Sana'a, had expired in 2018, and he was residing in Hyderabad illegally.
ACP (Taj security) Syed Areeb Ahmad said, "We arrested Zaidan on Monday evening. He came to India on a student visa and enrolled for a course at Max Educational Academy in Hyderabad. His passport is valid until Aug 9, 2025, but his visa was valid only from Nov 29, 2015, to May 28, 2018. He has been sent to jail following court orders. The embassy of Yemen in Delhi has been informed, and the legal process for his deportation will be followed."
During interrogation, Omar revealed that he had not returned to Yemen due to the "poor internal situation" in his country. On Tuesday, an FIR was registered against him at the tourism police station under section 14 of the Foreigners Act, 1946.
Notably, the 370th birth anniversary and Urs of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan were being celebrated at the Taj Mahal from Sunday to Tuesday. On the concluding day of Urs, visitors were allowed free entry to the monument. Omar was part of the large crowd that had gathered at the Taj Mahal for the event.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with
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Deepak Lavania is based in Agra serving as Principal Corresponden...
Read MoreDeepak Lavania is based in Agra serving as Principal Correspondent, covering districts of Agra and Aligarh division of western UP. An avid user of the RTI Act, he has been thrice awarded the TOI Scribe Tribe award for best news reports/series.
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