Ugandan woman sans valid visa held in McLeodganj
In the tourist town of McLeodganj, the local police have arrested a Ugandan woman for allegedly staying in India without a valid visa.
The arrest was made during a routine drive conducted by the local police team on Jogibara road on Saturday, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Bir Bahadur said here today.
He said the police team was stationed outside a school in McLeodganj on Saturday when they noticed a foreign woman sitting on the stairs nearby. On suspicion, the police approached her and asked her to produce her passport and valid visa documents. The woman reportedly showed photographs of her passport and Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) stored on her mobile phone.
When asked to present the original passport, she informed the police that it was at the Ugandan Embassy in Delhi. However, upon verification of the passport photograph and the online ETA details, it was found that her visa had expired and she was staying in India without valid travel documents. The ASP said the police took the woman into custody and registered a criminal case under Section 23(A) of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. He said further investigation was underway.
The police officials were trying to find out when she entered India and for how long she has been residing in the country after the expiry of her visa, besides collecting detailed information about her background and travel history. Notably, a Chinese national was also arrested from McLeodganj for staying without valid visa and documents, earlier this month, raising concerns over violations of immigration laws in the popular tourist destination, which is also home to the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader.
