Indian nationals arrested over illegal passports

By Innocent Anguyo

THE Internal Affairs Ministry paraded two Indian nationals, who were arrested on Friday for purportedly facilitating fraudulent processing of Ugandan passports, students' passes, work permits and certificates of residence.

Internal Affairs officials identified the suspects as Jani Gautam and Baiji Akbar, who were both holding Indian passports by the time of their arrest.

Gautam was arrested from Sedoma Complex on Rashid Khamis Road, while Baiji was apprehended from Prisma Plaza on Kampala Road. The duo is currently detained at Kira Road police station in Kampala.

According to Internal Affairs officials, Gautam is illegally staying in Uganda, while Baiji's visa is still valid.

Narrating how the suspects were arrested, Internal Affairs Ministry spokesperson Pamela Ankunda told the press that Gautum who was apprehended first, subsequently identified Baiji as the brain behind their crooked activities.

The operation to apprehend the duo, Ankunda said was informed by intelligence that Gautam and Baiji were part of a "big" racket of unscrupulous people out to fraudulently process national documents at exorbitant prices through irregular means.

Making a case for the arrests, Ankunda said the duo defied Ugandan laws by facilitating processing of passports, work permits, students' passes and certificates of residence, a duty which is a reserve for officials at ministry of internal affairs.

Ankunda suspects that the duo, in undertaking their black, market deeds equally connived with officials from the internal affairs ministry, because authentic passports of some Ugandans and genuine passport application forms were found in their offices- items which can only be obtained with the help of an "insider".

"We think these people are part of a big racket. They could have accomplices from within the ministry," stated Ankunda.

Also confiscated was a poster found at the entrance of the suspects' offices that was etched with a pledge to facilitate processing and issuance of Ugandan passports within ten days at a fee of sh235,000 nearly twice the official sh120,000 charged by government.

The duo is also accused of facilitating illegal stay in Uganda. Immigration officials found piles of application forms for Ugandan work permits, students' passes and expired foreign passports, most of them Indian, in the offices of the Gautam and Baiji.

It is assumed that the racket would facilitate fraudulent processing and subsequent issuance of Ugandan work permits, students' passes and certificates of residence to foreigners.

Most of the applications for work permits (backed by expired passports) confiscated in the suspects' offices were made by managers of companies where they would subsequently work. However, the applications, it is suspected could have been generated by Gautam and Baiji because they equally had copies of headed paper for the companies.

In another incidence, the signature of a manager of one company that sought the services of the suspects in application for work permits for his/her employees varied on all the application letters filed.

According to Benjamin Katana, the deputy spokesperson for the internal affairs ministry, government prefers the charge of facilitating trafficking in persons against the suspects.

Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person for the purpose of exploitation.

The foreigners, for whom applications for work permits were made, it is suspected could have been forced to work without their consent because most of their passports had expired.

Gautam, Katana said would equally face the charge of illegally staying in Uganda. Baiji's visa, Katana revealed would equally be revised once he is convicted.