Andhra Pradesh woman escapes trafficking trap; fake visa agent arrested at RGIA
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.
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New Indian Express
4 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Andhra Pradesh woman escapes trafficking trap; fake visa agent arrested at RGIA
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.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
Telangana student deported from US; Hyderabad consultancy firm's MD admits to have sent 15 students using forged documents
A 28-year-old student from Nalgonda district was arrested in Hyderabad after being deported from the United States (U.S.) for allegedly using forged documents to obtain a student visa. The student, identified as Gopal Reddy, had been pursuing a master's degree at Webster University in Missouri. He was detained by immigration officials at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Shamshabad on Sunday (June 1, 2025) after his arrival from Dallas, where U.S. authorities had denied him re-entry. Shamshabad assistant commissioner of police (ACP) V. Sreekanth Goud said that the student's SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) status was found to be inactive when he landed in Dallas, prompting his deportation and an enquiry by the immigration authorities in RGIA. During questioning, Reddy confessed that he had secured his U.S. visa using forged Computer Science degree certificates. Following his statement, a complaint was lodged with the local police, who arrested him on Monday (June 2, 2025). The same day, RGIA police also arrested 29-year-old K. Ashok, the managing director of Dhanalaxmi Overseas, a consultancy firm based in B.N. Reddy Nagar, for allegedly providing the fake certificates. A search at the firm's premises led to the seizure of 17 counterfeit certificates from various universities and ₹10 lakh in cash. 'Gopal Reddy had studied for one year in the U.S. and returned to India for five months. When he tried to re-enter the U.S., immigration officers found that his student visa status was inactive and deported him,' said the ACP. During interrogation, Ashok admitted to having sent 15 students abroad over the past five years using forged documents to secure admissions. Police have launched further investigation to trace these students and identify others involved in the racket. The two have been remanded for judicial custody.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
US deports student for fake visa documents; Telangana agent held in forged degree case
A 28-year-old student from Telangana was deported from the US for using fake educational certificates to secure a student visa. The student was arrested at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad, on June 1, 2025, upon his return to India. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Based on his confession, the police also arrested the managing director of an overseas education consultancy involved in preparing the forged documents. The student, Pakiru Gopal Reddy from Parepalligudem in Nalgonda district, travelled to the US on September 28, 2023. He had obtained a visa using counterfeit BSc Computers certificates purportedly issued by Madurai Kamaraj University. He was pursuing his master's degree at Webster University, Missouri, when he was deported. Fake visa documents lead to deportation Reddy stayed in the US for 15 months initially and returned to India briefly in 2024 for personal reasons. He then went back to the US in May 2025 but was deported from Dallas airport due to an inactive Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) status, as stated by V Sreekanth Goud, Assistant Commissioner of Police at RGIA, as reported by the TNN. When questioned by immigration officials upon his arrival at Hyderabad, Reddy admitted that one Katoju Ashok, managing director of Sri Dhanalakshmi Overseas Private Limited in Vanasthalipuram, had arranged the forged certificates for him. Reddy was handed over to RGIA police immediately on June 1. Managing director arrested, forged documents seized Following Reddy's confession, the police arrested Ashok on June 2. Ashok reportedly admitted to supplying fake degree certificates to at least 15 students since 2020, charging between Rs 80,000 and Rs 1 lakh each, the TNN reported. A search operation at Ashok's office led to the seizure of 150 forged mark sheets, provisional certificates, and recommendation letters bearing the names of Madurai Kamaraj University and Osmania University. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Police also recovered company stamps, four mobile phones, and Rs 10 lakh in cash from his possession. Ongoing investigation to trace others involved Authorities are continuing their investigation to identify other students who may have used similar fake documents to secure visas and travel abroad. The police suspect that more individuals could be connected to this forged certificate racket. As reported by the TNN, Ashok confessed to running this operation since 2020, indicating a wider network that facilitated the fraudulent activities. This incident has raised concerns over the verification processes for student visas and the role of unscrupulous education consultancies. With rising cases of fake documents, officials are likely to tighten controls to prevent such fraud in the future.
