Mumbai: 

pic for representation

The next time you are flying abroad make sure you check your passport thoroughly for any ripped off pages. At least 20 NRI groups in the US and Canada have complained that the visa pages in their passports are tampered with at some Indian airports. On their next entry to India, they say they are detained and harassed and they have to pay a lot of money to get out of the mess.

Said Amsterdam-based doctor Chandrashekhar Rao, "It happened to my brother, an Indian citizen, with a 10-year, multiple-entry visa to the US. When he arrived in Amsterdam from Bangalore, an immigration official in Amsterdam found his visa page torn and as a precaution warned him not to visit the US." Rao has since started a blog to inform all Indians in Holland of the possible dangers awaiting them at Indian airports.

Rao's brother later entered the US through Niagara airport in Canada, where the official granted entry since most digits of the visa number were still clearly visible (despite the page being partly torn). "Now, he is going through the pain of applying for a new American visa. The immigration people are crazy. It is a huge fraud," added Rao.

Over the past six months, over 90 NRIs have complained to Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) and External Affairs. "There are certain complaints that are being probed. But it is not a scam as it is being alleged," said an MOIA spokesperson. Immigration officials at Mumbai and Delhi airports refused to comment, terming the allegations as bogus.

Sneak

In their complaint, the NRIs have alleged that at the time of the passenger's departure, the duty officer sneakily tears away one of the pages from the passport while stamping it.

"When the passenger leaves the immigration counter, the incident is keyed into the system to alert all international airports across India. So, the next time the passenger returns to India he or she can be immediately detained," said Hyderabad-born Arifuddin. Arifuddin, who works in Jeddah, got a taste of this when his wife's passport was found torn. The family, which returned to India, is now fighting the case in court.

What happens

>15 to 20 cases are reported each month
> Harassment depends on the passenger's period of stay abroad, his income and standing
>If a passenger tries to argue, then he is sure to be detained
> Once the page is torn, the passport immediately becomes a 'marked one'