20 men heading for Iraq detained

Chennai: A group of 20 men headed to Dubai from the State were detained at the airport here. Police sources said immigration officials became suspicious that the men, who hailed from different districts, were headed to Iraq to be employed in well-paid but menial jobs. On being questioned, the men admitted that they were going to Iraq.
Officials said the men paid Rs 1 lakh each to a job agent, who also arranged for their visa to Iraq from Dubai. “Their travel plan was traced. The passport of some men showed that they had been to Iraq before. Some had their passports issued there; which gave them away.”
They said it was a routine matter. Travel to Iraq was banned, as it was a war zone. The risks of never coming back were high. Despite that many job seekers wanted to go the Gulf country because of the attractive pay packets.
Sources told Express that the men were generally employed through sub-contract by the US army for routine jobs like building roads and transport and catering services. Drivers were in great demand.
The entire modus operandi is simple. Sub-agents across the State scout for willing people and get them a tourist visa for Dubai and from there another agent arranges for another visa to travel to Iraq, which is a simple process. Ten out of the 20 men tried to go to Dubai on Wednesday on an Indian Airlines flight, but they were detained again.
22/01/09 Mamta Todi/ExpressBuzz

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Categories: Airports Jan 2009