Mangaluru, Feb 14: It was a harrowing experience for a Dubai-bound Indian expatriate woman after her passport was apparently damaged by the staff at Mangaluru International Airport.
The latest incident of passport tampering took place on February through when Rubeena Hashim (28), a native of Kerala was travelling back to Dubai along with her two children Fathima (4) and Noora (8 months). Her husband Mohammad (33) works as a trading company public relations officer in UAE.
Rubeena was in for a rude shock when she noticed her passport had been ripped from its seams when she reached the check in counter. “Her passport was in very good condition when they left from home and this could only have been done by airport security staff when she entered the airport,” Mohammad was quoted as saying by a newspaper.
“As she was entering and presenting her and the children’s passports and tickets to the security officer outside the airport, he told her to proceed and get an airport stroller for the children,” he added.
“She went to get the stroller and when she came back he returned their tickets and passports, but in between this time my wife’s passport was tampered with.”
When she got to the check in desk, ground staff then told her she could not travel because her passport was damaged.
“But if it was damaged, she wouldn’t have been allowed to enter the airport in the first place,” said Mohammad.
“She begged and begged and in the end they made her sign a waiver that stated that if she encountered any problems entering the UAE with a damaged passport, Mangalore’s airport authority would not be responsible.”
Even in penning this letter, however, airport staff made things difficult saying she had phrased the letter incorrectly. In the end fellow passengers had to help her write the letter as she tended to the two children, who were by now growing increasingly fractious.
“Luckily once she got to Dubai, airport security staff there were very courteous and just told her to get it replaced at the earliest opportunity,” said Mohammad, but of her treatment in her own country, he added: “They had no humane consideration for my wife who was travelling alone with two small kids.
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