KATHMANDU, Nov 8: The immigration office at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) has turned away 20 young women who were on their way to the UAE and Kuwait on suspicious visit visas.
Yagya Raj Aryal, an immigration officer, said that the women, traveling on a Himalaya Airlines flight Thursday night, were sent back after immigration officers raised concerns. The group had claimed they were traveling to Kuwait and the UAE on tourist visas, with four of them heading to Kuwait and the remaining 16 to the UAE. They arrived at the airport between 8:30 and 9:00 pm.
Human trafficking through Pashupatinagar on the rise
Upon further inspection, it was found that some of the women had discrepancies between the visa-issuing location and the boarding passes they presented. The immigration office has indicated that the case appears to be related to human trafficking, as there have been ongoing concerns about traffickers using visit visas to smuggle individuals through the airport.
