44 women sans POE nod held at RGIA

Hyderabad: Immigration officials at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (

RGIA

) in the city on Tuesday caught 44 women from Andhra Pradesh (AP) , Tamil Nadu and Goa trying to board a flight to Kuwait ostensibly for work without clearance from the Protector of Emigrants (POE).

The women aged between 25-45 years had arrived at the city airport early on Tuesday with the help of agents who had arranged tickets and visas for them.

During the immigration check, Bureau of Immigration (BoI) staff observed that the women had visiting visas and also permits to work in Kuwait, but none had the required Protector of Emigrants clearance to work in Kuwait.

“They were detained and handed over to us,” RGI Airport inspector P Vijay Kumar said.

Police said that the Andhra Pradesh women were from Guntur.

“The 44 women sare victims. We are trying to identify the agents who were trying to send these women illegally to Kuwait. More information has to be gathered to find out who are the main agents and where they are operating from,” the inspector P Vijay Kumar said.