Andhra-based agents held in Hyderabad for passport, visa tampering
Hyderabad: The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) Police, in coordination with the Special Operations Team (SOT) Shamshabad Zone, apprehended two individuals involved in a passport and visa tampering racket aimed at illegally sending people to Gulf countries. Acting on reliable information, the arrests were made on May 14, 2025, at the Three Castle Hotel in Nampally, Hyderabad.
The accused were found in possession of 14 tampered passports, 14 Police Clearance Certificates (PCCs), 14 Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) medical certificates, 16 flight tickets, forged stamps, a stamp pad, seven mobile phones, and a laptop. The case has been registered at RGIA Police Station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Passport Act.
The investigation began after Gandikota Venkata Ramana, a 38-year-old resident of West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, lodged a complaint on May 13. She alleged that she and seven other women were deceived by agents who promised jobs in Kuwait. Despite holding ECR (Emigration Check Required) passports, they were booked on tourist visas and routed through Muscat. Authorities at RGIA discovered that her Kuwait visa, stamped “CANCELLED”, had been tampered with, triggering suspicion of immigration fraud.
The two arrested have been identified as Chilukuri Balaji, aged 43, and Sunkara Shiva Kumar, aged 30. Both are from Andhra Pradesh and worked as Gulf travel agents. Balaji, a resident of Penugonda in West Godavari, operated under a fake agency name, “Srinivasa Global Recruits”, and is said to be closely associated with the main accused, Satyanarayana, who is currently absconding. Shiva Kumar hails from Annamayya District and was involved in coordinating logistics and documentation.
According to the police, Balaji and Shiva Kumar, along with their associates Satyanarayana and Anji alias Penegalapati Ramanjaneyulu, ran a network that targeted poor, uneducated individuals from Andhra Pradesh and nearby regions. They promised lucrative jobs in Gulf countries and collected ₹50,000 to ₹60,000 per person through sub-agents, retaining a commission of ₹5,000 to ₹8,000 each after expenses.
The accused procured visas through agents in Mumbai, including some obtained via fraudulent means from the Kuwait Consulate. To bypass Indian emigration checks, they tampered with genuine work visas by stamping them as “CANCELLED” so they would appear as tourist visas. Victims were taken for medical tests in Hyderabad, then lodged near Nampally before being transported to the airport. In many cases, the accused destroyed tourist visa documents mid-journey and presented fake work-related documents at the destination country.
Two types of documentation methods were used. In the first, passports with cancelled work visas were paired with tourist visas and round-trip tickets to show Indian immigration officials. In the second, the fake “CANCELLED” stamp was removed and the original work visa, PCC, and boarding passes were shown to immigration authorities in the Gulf.
As per emigration rules, ECNR (Emigration Check Not Required) passport holders may travel for work without prior clearance if they possess original work visas and PCCs. However, ECR passport holders require a valid job contract, insurance, and a clearance certificate. Ignoring these requirements, the accused used forged and tampered documents to send people abroad. Balaji was earlier involved in a similar case registered at the Amritsar Airport Police Station under IPC sections related to fraud and forgery, and the Punjab Travel Professionals Act.
