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Malaysian passengers deported for holding missing Indian visas

CHENNAI: About a dozen passengers from Malaysia have been deported in the last 10 days after they landed here with visas that were reported missing from the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

According to airport sources, nearly 2,000 visa stickers went missing from the Indian High Commission. The authorities have alerted all major airports and airlines in India and sent the details of the missing visa stickers.

Airport sources said nearly 1,000 passengers who obtained the missing visas visited India and returned home in the past few months.

About 150 passengers holding the stolen visas are still in India. Tracing them could be a little difficult, said the sources.

Visa stickers had been missing for about six months and a senior Indian High Commission official in Kuala Lumpur alerted the officials and the airlines a week ago. Airlines on their part have started checking the visa details before allowing any passenger to board the flight. If someone was found holding the stolen visa, he was not allowed to travel, the sources said.

Preliminary investigation revealed that a few passengers obtained the visas from travel agents without being aware of the issue.

The authorities were unable to take any action against the passengers who were totally innocent, said the sources. Initial probe showed the involvement of three travel agents based in Kuala Lumpur, who sold the visas to the members of public.

The Indian High Commission had to file cases against these travel agents, the airport authorities said.

A senior official from the airport said normally they received alerts from Indian Missions abroad about missing visa stickers, which would be not more than one or two in a month, the officer added.

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